BX  4983  .F7  M4  1831 
American  Sunday-School 

Union. 
Memoirs  of  Augustus  Hermann 

Franck& 


f< 


.tM. 


lofessoT  of  Theoligvmth-ttJJmversity  of  Halle 
:ud  founder  oi  ^  Orpkixi.  Hou,si5   at  that  place 


xMEMOIRS'  -^ifc. 


OF 


AUGUSTUS  HERMANN   FRANCKE. 


PREPARED  FOR  THE  AMERICAN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION,  AND 
REVISED  BY  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION. 


AMERICAN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION, 
PHILADELPHIA: 

NO.  146  CHESNUT  STREET. 
1831 


Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  to  wit: 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  November,  in 
the  fifty-fifth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
A  D  1830  PAUL  BECK,  Jr.  Treasurer,  in  trust  for  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  of  the  said  District,  has  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of 
a  Book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  Proprietor,  in  the  words  following, 
to  wit  :— 

"Memoirs  of  Augustus  Hermann  Francke.  Prepared  for  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union,  and  revised  by  the  Committee  of  Publication." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  en- 
titled "  An  Act  for  the  Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  Co- 
pies of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  ot  such 
Copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned"— And  also  to  the  Act, enti- 
tled, "An  Act  Supplementary  to  an  Act  entitled,  'An  Act  for  the  Encou- 
ragement of  Learning,  by  securing  the  Copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books, 
to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  Copies  during  the  times  therein 
mentioned,'  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing, 
engraving,  and  etching  Historical  and  other  P""*j'i  v  dwelL 

Clerk  of  the  Eastern  District  qf  Penvsrjlmvia. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

This  work  has  been  prepared  principally  from  a  life 
of  the  excellent  Francke,  which  appeared  at  Halle,  in 
Prussia,  in  the  year  1817.  His  name  is  not  unknown  to 
the  public,  as  it  is  always  associated  with  the  celebrated 
Orphan  House  at  Halle,  and  some  works  of  his  which 
have  been  translated  into  English.  The  history  of  his 
life  is,  however,  but  little  known  among  us  at  the  pre- 
sent day ;  the  only  accounts  of  him,  in  our  language, 
being  short  prefatory  notices  attached  to  translations  of 
two  or  three  of  his  works,  and  one  or  two  articles  in 
religious  periodicals. 

The  life  of  Francke  is  one  of  those  which  display  in 
strong  colours  the  power  of  true  faith,  and  which  it  is  so 
improving,  as  well  as  interesting,  to  contemplate.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  hope  of  the  compiler,  that  this  more  ex- 
tended account  of  it  will  not  be  unacceptable  to  the 
christian  community. 

In  reference  to  the  execution  of  the  work,  it  is  to 
be  stated,  that  in  the  passages  which  are  given  as 
Francke's  own  language,  the  attempt  has  been  to  pre- 
sent  the  thought,  rather  than  the  peculiar  form  of  ex- 
pression, of  the  original.    As  an  apology  for  some  of 

3 


IV  ADVERTISEMENT. 

the  defects  of  the  composition,  it  may  be  added,  that 
the  best  scholars  have  found  it  difficult  to  write  with 
perspicuity  and  simplicity  with  a  German  model  before 
'   them. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  make  a  larger  book,  by 
giving  more  numerous  extracts  from  the  writings,  and 
detailing  more  minutely  the  facts  in  the  life  of  Francke. 
The  present  size  has,  however,  been  deemed  more 
appropriate  to  the  class  of  readers  for  whom  it  is  prin- 
cipally intended — the  older  scholars  in  our  Sabbath 
Schools.  To  them  it  is  affectionately  recommended, 
with  the  prayer,  that  it  may  be  used  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  as  a  means  of  bringing  them  to  an  experience  of 
the  blessedness  of  true  religion. 

R.  B. 

Princeton,  {N.  J.)  Sept.  15,  1830. 


CONTENTS. 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS.  Page  1 

CHAPTER  I.— Early  History.  15 

CHAPTER  n.— His  Residence  at  Luneburg.  25 

CHAPTER  HI. — His   Residence   in  Hamburg — 
Return  to  Leipzig — Difficulties  at  that  place — 
Settlement  at  Erfurt — Labours  there — Appoint- 
ment to  a  Professorship  at  Halle.  40 

CHAPTER  IV.— His  Labours  as  a  Pastor.  55 

CHAPTER  v.— University  of  Halle  organized- 
Appointment  of  Professors — Francke's  difficul- 
ties with  the  Ministers  of  Halle.  72 

CHAPTER  VI. — Labours  as  a  Professor — New 
difficulties  at  Halle — Opposition  from  abroad.       SI 

CHAPTER  VII.— The  Orphan  House— Circum 
stances  which  led  to  its  erection — Difficulties 
attending  the  work.  101 

CHAPTER  VIII.— Departments  of  the  Orphan 
House — Its  extent — Method  of  Instruction 
pursued.  140 

CHAPTER  IX.— His  private  life— Labours  in 
behalf  of  Missions.  152 

CHAPTER  X.— His  latter  years- Tours  for  the 
restoration  of  his  Health — His  death.  160 

A  2  5 


MEMOIRS 


OF 


AUGUSTUS  HERMANN  FRANCKE. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

In  estimating  the  character  of  an  indivi- 
dual, we  are  to  take  into  consideration  the 
situation  and  circumstances  in  which  he  is 
placed;  for  nothing  is  more  manifest  than 
that  they  exert  a  strong  influence  upon  his 
character.  Such  is  the  nature  of  man,  that 
he  cannot  avoid  receivinoj  more  or  less  im- 
pression  from  his  education — associates — the 
state  of  moral  feeling  in  his  country — and 
the  varied  events  of  his  life.  If  all  this  influ- 
ence be  salutary,  we  look  upon  him  who  be- 
comes profligate  and  licentious,  as  almost  a 
monster;  and,  on  the  contrary,  we  admire  him 
who,  surrounded  by  wicked  men  and  educated 

7 


8  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

under  their  influence,  dares  to  live  a  moral  and 
religious  life.  It  is  precisely  thus  in  the  his- 
tory of  professed  christians.  It  is  generally 
found  that  even  those  who  call  themselves 
the  children  of  God,  and  confess  their  obliga- 
tions to  live  devoted  to  his  service,  sink  to 
the  level  of  religious  feeling  which  prevails 
around  them ;  or,  if  it  be  more  elevated  than 
their  own,  attempt  to  rise  to  the  same  stand- 
ard. Of  course,  then,  that  person,  who,  in 
the  midst  of  surrounding  coldness  and  inac- 
tivity, resists  this  downward  influence,  and 
manifests  the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel,  de- 
serves our  esteem  more  than  one  who  mani- 
fests the  same  spirit  in  more  favourable  cir- 
cumstances. It  is  for  this  reason  that  we 
admire  the  character  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Reformation,  and  hold  up  Luther  and  Me- 
lancthon  as  examples  for  our  imitation. 

If  these  things  be  true,  there  has  seldom 
lived  a  man  who  more  deserves  our  admira- 
tion than  the  subject  of  this  little  biography. 
He  stands  out,  with  a  few  others,  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  times,  as  a  light  in  a  dark  place, 
exhibiting,  under  very  unfavourable  circum- 
stances, a  faith  and  zeal  truly  remarkable.  A 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  9 

little  more  than  a  century  before,  the  Ger- 
man church,  under  the  influence  of  the  Re- 
formers, had  cast  off  the  bonds  of  the  Romish 
hierarchy,  and  begun  again  to  manifest  the 
influence  of  a  purer  doctrine  than  had  been 
taught  for  centuries.  But  scarcely  had  the 
holy  men,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  that  move- 
ment, been  gathered  to  their  fathers^  when 
symptoms  of  decline  began  to  be  seen.  In- 
stead of  cleaving  to  the  Scriptures  as  the  sole 
standard  of  faith,  and  directing  their  lives  ac- 
cording to  scriptural  precepts,  their  successors 
suflered  themselves  to  be  involved  in  unpro- 
fitable controversies  with  the  Romanists,  in 
which  they  made  more  use  of  the  arguments 
of  an  absurd  philosophy,  than  of  the  simple 
declarations  of  the  Bible.  As  an  almost  in- 
evitable consequence,  preachers  and  people 
began  to  content  themselves  with  an  adherence 
to  the  doctrines  of  religion,  without  regard  to 
their  influence  upon  the  heart  and  life.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth,  and  during 
most  of  the  seventeenth  centuries,  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Lutheran  church  possessed  little 
more  than  a  mere  correct,  speculative  belief, 
without  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  Their  attach- 


10  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

ment  to  the  forms  of  their  church  and  their 
creed  became,  as  is  common,  the  more  bigoted 
in  proportion  as  the  vital  principles  of  the 
system  were  neglected.  Every  deviation  from 
their  views  was  denounced  as  heresy.  Con- 
troversial theology  was  the  favourite  study, 
and  the  examination  and  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  was  considered  as  of  minor  importance. 
A  celebrated  theologian,  who  began  a  course 
of  lectures  on  the  book  of  Isaiah,  was  com- 
pelled to  stop  at  the  end  of  the  first  chapter 
for  w  ant  of  attendants.  The  consequence  of 
all  this  was,  that  the  preachers,  instead  of  ex- 
plaining and  applying  to  their  hearers  the 
declarations  of  God's  word,  employed  their 
time  in  discussing  the  disputed  doctrines  of 
their  day,  or  in  discoursing  upon  the  most 
frivolous  topics.  The  Bible  became  an  un- 
known book  to  the  bewildered  people,  who 
"perished  for  lack  of  vision." 

This  lamentable  state  of  things  was  not  to 
continue  long.  It  pleased  God  to  raise  up 
men  who  began  their  efforts  to  bring  about  a 
change  in  the  state  of  theological  opinion,  by 
making  the  Bible  and  the  writers  of  the  early 
church  a  more  general  subject  of  study.    It 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  11 

was  necessary,  however,  in  addition  to  this, 
to  give,  if  possible,  a  more  practical  character 
to  rehgion.     Many  pious  laymen  had  been 
driven,  by  the  want  of  spiritual  nourishment, 
which  w  as  not  to  be  found  in  the  cold,  contro- 
versial style  of  preaching  so  common,  to  study, 
in  a  more  private  way,  the  truths  of  the  Bible, 
and  apply  them  to  themselves.  But  they  were 
not  sufficiently  guarded  against  error  them- 
selves to  produce  any  very  extensive  effect. 
Pious  and  learned  theologians  were  needed 
for  this  purpose,  and  these  were  providentially 
provided  in  the  persons  of  Arnd,  Gerhard, 
and  Audrede.     These  excellent  men  prepared 
the  way  for  the  introduction  of  a  better  state 
of  things,  which  was  brought  about  princi- 
pally through  the  agency  of  Philip  Spener. 
This  remarkable  man  was  born  in  Alsace  in 
1635,  and,  after  filling  various  important  sta- 
tions in  the  church,  died  at  Berlin  in  1705. 
It  was  the  grand  object  of  Spener  to  bring 
theology  to  a  more  complete  conformity  to 
the  model  of  Scripture,  and  give  it  a  more 
practical  character.     He  urged  the  necessity 
of  founding  the  doctrinal  views  of  the  minis- 
ter entirely  upon  the  Bible ;  and  maintained 


12  MEMOIRS  OP  PRANCKE. 

that  no  one  could  properly  preach  the  gospel 
who  had  not  felt  its  transforming  posver.  He 
exclaimed  against  the  prevailing  style  of 
preaching,  and  declared  his  belief  that  the 
doctrines  of  sin,  redemption,  and  sanctifica- 
tion  should  be  the  principal  subjects  of  illus- 
tration and  application.  In  his  zeal  for  the 
improvement  of  the  clergy,  he  did  not  neglect 
the  interests  of  the  people.  His  sermons  were 
of  an  eminently  practical  character,  and  pro- 
duced the  most  desirable  results  wherever  de- 
livered. In  addition  to  his  public  preaching, 
he  held  little  social  meetings  in  various  places, 
and  presented  on  these  occasions  the  truth  of 
God  in  a  more  familiar  manner,  sometimes 
conversing  with  individuals,  at  others  asking 
questions  upon  and  explaining  his  discourses 
which  they  had  heard.  His  influence  thus 
constantly  increased  as  he  advanced  in  life, 
and  in  Berlin  became  very  great,  not  only 
among  the  people,  but  with  the  Elector  him- 
self and  his  court.  On  account  of  this  he  was 
enabled  to  direct,  to  some  extent,  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  professors  in  the  new  university 
at  Halle ;  so  that  he  may  be  considered,  in 
a  considerable  measure,  the  author  of  all  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  1 3 

good  which  that  university  afterwards  accom- 
plished. 

But  this  wide  extended  and  excellent  influ- 
ence which  Spener  exerted,  instead  of  secur- 
ing universal  esteem,  seems  only  to  have  ex- 
cited the  enmity  of  a  large  number  of  his 
countr}Tmen.   That  large  class  of  theologians 
which  w^e  have  above  described,  looked  upon 
his  piety  and  zeal  as  mere  hypocrisy,  and  op- 
posed him  with  all  their  might.     They  at- 
tacked his  writings  and  himself  in  the  most 
violent  manner;   and  among  other  epithets 
which  they  applied  to  him  was  that  of  Pietist^ 
a  term  about  equivalent  to  Puritan  in  English 
histor}^     The  name  soon  became  a  common 
epithet  for  those  who  manifested  any  remark- 
able degree  of  pious  feeling ;  and  as  the  influ- 
ence of  Spener  had  awakened  many  to  vital 
religion,  and  as  this  number  constantly  in- 
creased, it  continued  for  a  long  time  to  be 
applied  to  all  the  evangelical  part*  of  the 

*  It  is,  however,  but  just  to  state,  that  there  were  some  among 
those  who  professed  to  be  followers  of  Spener,  who  acted  in  a 
very  improper  manner,  and  taught  some  very  erroneous  doc- 
trines. The  number  of  these  was  very  small,  compared  with 
that  of  the  truly  pious ;  and  the  enemies  of  the  Pietists  did  not 
take  any  pains  to  distinguish  the  good  from  the  evil.  Every 
B 


14  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

Lutheran  church.  By  many,  who,  hke  the 
apostles,  rejoiced  that  they  were  permitted  to 
suffer  shame  for  the  name  of  Christ,  the  epi- 
thet was  considered  as  an  honourable  testi- 
mony of  their  character,  and  as  such  they 
continued  to  use  it,  though  in  a  different 
sense  from  that  which  was  intended  by  those 
who  invented  it. 

About  the  time  when  Spener  was  beginning 
to  see  the  blessed  effects  of  his  labours,  there 
appeared  upon  the  stage  a  young  divine,  who 
was  destined  by  God  to  be  a  principal  means 
of  continuing  the  revival  of  religion  which 
was  now  begun  in  Germany.  This  was 
Francke,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs. 

one  who  differed  from  themselves  in  the  warmth  of  his  feelings, 
or  who  manifested  any  disposition  for  a  change  in  the  state  of 
the  church,  was  at  once  set  down  as  belonging  to  this  hated  sect. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  15 


CHAPTER  I. 

Early  History. 

Augustus  Hermann  Francke  was  born  at 
Lubeck^  in  the  northern  part  ^of  Germany,  on 
the  23d  day  of  March,  l^^^  In  the  year 
1666,  his  parents  removed  from  that  place  to 
Gotha,  where  his  father  was  appointed  court 
counsellor  and  director  of  schools  for  that 
principality,  by  Duke  Ernst  the  Pious.  Of 
this  parent  it  pleased  God  to  deprive  him,  by 
death,  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

His  father  had  been  particularly  attentive 
to  the  education  of  this,  his  only  son.  He  had 
with  all  a  father's  anxiety,  instilled  into  the 
mind  of  his  child  the  principles  of  the  chris- 
tian religion,  taught  him  by  example  and  pre- 
cept his  duties  to  God  and  man,  and  em- 
ployed for  him  in  addition  a  private  teacher. 
After  his  father's  death,  his  mother  pursued 
the  same  course  with  him,  until  his  thirteenth 

*  His  father  was  John  Francke,  a  doctor  of  laws,  and  a  distia- 
guished  officer  of  the  church. 


16  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

year.  He  states,  that  at  this  time,  study 
was  to  him  more  pleasant  than  any  other 
employment,  which  must  appear  not  a  httle 
surprising  at  such  an  age.  He  was,  also,  dur- 
ing this  whole  period,  more  or  less  interested 
in  the  subject  of  religion.  In  his  tenth  year  he 
was  so  completely  weaned  from  the  common 
desires  and  amusements  of  childhood,  that 
he  asked  his  mother  for  a  little  room,  which 
he  might  call  his  own,  where  he  might  study 
and  pray  without  interruption.  This  request 
was  granted ;  and  it  was  his  habit,  when  he 
returned  from  his  teacher,  to  retire  there,  and, 
closing  the  door,  to  pray  earnestly  to  God. 
It  is  stated,  that  he  used  to  say  frequently  at 
these  times,  "  Lord,  all  things  and  all  persons 
will,  in  the  end,  be  made  to  glorify  thee :  but 
I  pray  that  thou  wouldst  so  order  my  whole 
life,  that  it  may  be  spent  to  thy  glory  alone." 
His  youngest  sister  seems  to  have  exerted  a 
most  happy  influence  upon  him.  She  was 
three  years  older  than  himself,  and,  to  all  ap- 
pearance, loved  God  from  her  infancy ;  and 
being  one  of  the  most  lovely  and  cheerful  of 
the  family,  and  nearest  to  his  age,  he  was 
tenderly,  attached  to  her.    She  taught  him  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  17 

imitate  her  in  carefully  and  frequently  read- 
ing the  Bible  and  other  serious  books,  and, 
among  the  rest,  Arnd's  "  True  Christianity." 
But  it  was  his  lot  to  be  soon  after  separated 
from  this  sister;  for  God  took  her  to  himself 
at  an  early  age.  After  the  death  of  his  sis- 
ter, he  was  left  without  any  one  who  would 
so  directly  influence  his  feelings  and  conduct. 
The  little  spark  which  had  been  enkindled  in 
his  bosom  was  not,  however,  extinguished, 
though  it  did  not  burn  with  the  same  viorour 
as  before.  He  was  exposed,  too,  to  the  effect 
of  evil  example  in  his  daily  intercourse,  which 
blunted,  to  some  extent,  the  tenderness  of  his 
feeUngs,  and  caused  him,  in  after  times,  much 
sorrow,  for  it  led  him  to  neglect  these  early 
influences  of  the  Spirit. 

In  his  thirteenth  year,  he  was  sent  to  the 
Gymnasium, or  public  school  at  Gotha, where, 
notwithstanding  his  youth,  he  was  soon  dis- 
tinguished on  account  of  his  attainments.  He 
received  the  year  after  the  certificate  of  pre- 
paration for  the  University;  but,  being  too 
young  to  pursue  his  studies  there  with  advan- 
tage, he  spent  tlie  next  two  years  at  home  in 
studying  the  languages  more  extensively  than 


18  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

was  usual  in  the  schools  at  that  time.  He 
manifested,  even  at  this  period,  a  taste  for 
theology,  read  a  number  of  works  of  that 
character,  and  determined  to  pursue  his  stu- 
dies, in  reference  to  the  ministry ."*  But,  not- 
withstanding this,  he  acknowledges,  that  pride 
and  ambition  had  a  strong  control  over  his 
conduct,  and  that  his  zeal  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge  hindered  his  attention  to  more  im- 
portant concerns.  He  continued,  however,  his 
habits  of  private  prayer,  and  seems,  in  ge- 
neral, to  have  been  prudent  and  moral  in  his 
deportment. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  went  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Erfurt.  He  attended  the  lectures 
upon  history,  metaphysicks,  geography,  and 
Hebrew,  until  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, 
(1679,)  when,  in  consequence  of  the  offer  of 
a  scholarship  in  the  University  of  Kiel,  of 
which  his  uncle  had  the  direction,  he  went  to 
that  place. 

In  Kiel,  Francke  lived  in  the  family  of  the 


*  It  should  be  remarked,  in  explanation  of  this,  that  at  that 
time  the  only  qualifications  which  were  generally  thought  neces- 
sary for  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  were  external  morality  of 
conduct,  and  a"  attachment  to  the  forms  of  the  church. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  19 

celebrated  and  excellent  professor  Kortholt. 
He  attended  his  lectures  on  theology,  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  his  library,  and  received 
from  him,  in  connexion  with  one  other  stu- 
dent, private  instructions  in  church  history 
and  philosophy.  Besides  these,  he  heard  lec- 
tures upon  natural  history,  and  some  other 
subjects,  and  studied  the  English  language, 
all  of  which  he  attended  to  principally  in  re- 
ference to  their  connexion  with  theology. 
While  at  this  place,  he  seems  to  have  been, 
as  is  too  frequently  the  case,  so  much  ab- 
sorbed in  his  studies,  as  to  have  little  time  or 
disposition  for  attention  to  the  more  important 
subject  of  religion.  In  speaking  of  himself, 
he  says,  "  I  knew  how,  at  that  time,  to  dis- 
cuss all  the  doctrines  of  theology  and  morals, 
and  could  prove  them  from  the  Bible.  I  was 
correct  in  my  external  conduct,  and  neglected 
none  of  the  forms  of  religion;  but  my  head, 
not  my  heart,  w^as  affected.  Theology  was 
to  me  a  mere  science,  in  which  only  my  me- 
mory and  judgment  were  concerned.  I  did 
not  make  it  practical.  When  I  read  the 
Bible,  my  effort  was  to  become  acquainted 
with  its  doctrines,  not  to  apply  them  to  my- 


20  MEMoms  OF  fra:n'cj:e. 

self;  and  though  I  wrote  vohimes  of  notes 
upon  it,  I  never  took  care  that  its  precepts 
should  be  written  on  my  heart."  The  influ- 
ence which  Kortholt  exerted  upon  him,  at  this 
period,  was  such  as  to  lead  him,  at  times,  to 
pray  earnestly,  that  God  would  change  his 
heart,  and  give  him  the  spirit  of  his  children. 
He  often  walked  alone  upon  the  sea-shore  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  meditated  upon  three 
things : — how  he  should  become  holy — how 
he  should  become  learned — ^^and  how  he  should 
acquire  the  talent  of  making  his  knowledge 
useful  to  others.  He  was,  however,  still  in 
darkness  as  to  the  means  of  obtaininor  the 
favour  of  God  and  deliverance  from  sin. 

After  a  residence  of  three  years  at  this 
place,  and  the  completion  of  the  usual  course 
of  study,  being  dissatisfied  with  his  know- 
ledge of  Hebrew,  he  determined  to  go  and 
put  himself  under  the  direction  of  the  famous 
Hebrew  teacher,  Ezra  Edzardi,  at  Hamburg. 
It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  state,  in  few 
words,  the  plan  of  study  recommen  Jed  to  him. 
He  was  directed  to  make  himself  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  signification  of  all  the 
words  in  the  first  four  chapters  of  Genesis,  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKEf  21 

not  to  trouble  himself  for  the  present  with  the 
grammar.  He  was  surprised  and  disappointed 
at  this  advice,  but  followed  it;  and  when  he 
next  went  to  his  teacher,  found,  to  his  satis- 
faction, that  he  had  become  master  of  one 
third  of  the  words  in  the  Hebrew  language. 
Edzardi  now  advised  him  to  read  the  Bible 
through  again  and  again,  and  afterw^ards 
to  study  the  language  more  accurately. — 
After  spending  two  months  in  Hamburg,  he 
returned  to  his  friends  and  family  at  Gotha. 
He  remained  here  during  the  next  year,  and 
did,  in  that  time,  read  the  Bible  seven  times 
through  in  Hebrew,  and  thus  became  familiar 
with  the  language.  He  acquired,  at  this  time, 
too,  a  knowledge  of  the  French  language. 
While  he  was  at  Gotha,  his  religious  feelinors 
revived  and  strengthened.  Practical  piety 
was  more  the  object  of  his  desire  than  it  had 
for  a  long  time  been,  and  he  felt  more  deeply 
its  necessity.  He  did  not,  however,  feel  the 
impropriety  of  attempting,  by  all  his  dihgence, 
to  obtain  only  the  honours,  and  pleasures, 
and  riches  of  this  world.  Inconsistent  as  it 
seems  with  his  expectations  of  preaching  the 
gospel,  which  declares  the  friendship  of  the 


22  MEMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE. 

world  to  be  enmity  with  God,  his  expecta- 
tions of  happiness  all  centered  here ;  and  the 
thought,  that  the  earth,  with  all  its  enjoy- 
ments, is  passing  away,  appears  to  have  too 
seldom  entered  his  mind.  He  was  yet  under 
the  dominion  of  a  carnal  and  depraved  heart, 
although  he  knew  that  God  demanded  and 
deserved  all  his  love  and  obedience. 

Early  in  the  year  1684,  Francke  received 
a  proposal  from  a  young  theologian  at  Leip- 
zig, that  he  should  become  his  instructor  in 
Hebrew,  and  his  room-mate.  He  accepted  this 
offer  and  was  so  successful  in  the  instruction 
of  his  pupil,  that  he  became  a  distinguished 
scholar,^aiid  eventually  professor  of  oriental 
'}  languages  in  *W  ittemberg.  The  peculiar  ad- 
vantages which  he  here  enjoyed,  enabled  him 
to  make  rapid  progress  in  knowledge.  He 
attended  lectures  upon  various  subjects,  and 
acquired  the  Rabbinical  and  Italian  lan- 
guages. Another  means  of  improvement 
which  he  enjoyed,  was  intercourse  with  the 
learned  men  who  were  collected  around  the 
University,  by  all  of  whom  he  was  known  and 
beloved.  In  1685,  he  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  arts,  and  began,  soon  after,  to  de- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  23 

liver  lectures,  which  were  well  attended  by 
the  students,  who,  at  the  German  Universi- 
ties, are  at  liberty  to  attend  the  instructions 
of  whatever  teacher   they  please.     To  im- 
prove himself  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures,  he  united  with  another  private 
teacher  in  the  formation  of  a  "  Society  for 
the  Study  of  the  Bible."     The  plan  of  con- 
ducting the  meetings  of  this  Society  was,  that  • 
some  one  should  read  a  passage  from  the 
Bible  and  explain  it;  and  afterwards  the  re- 
maining members  should  make  their  remarks. 
Their  meetings  were  two  hours  long,  half  of 
which  time  they  spent  upon  the  Old  and  half 
upon  the  New  Testament.    The  primary  de- 
sign was  to  improve  in  the  understanding  of 
the  Scriptures;  but  in  time  their  remarks  as- 
sumed a  more  practical  character,  and  they 
began  to  consider  the  application  of  the  tmths 
of  God's  word,  as  an  important  part  of  their 
plan.     The  members  of  this  association  in- 
creased so  much,  that  they  were  compelled  to 
obtain  a  larger  room  than  the  one  they  now  oc- 
cupied, and  it  became  so  important  in  the  view 
of  the  professors,  that  one  of  them  presided  at 
the  meetings.     In  this  way,  Francke  was  the 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

means  of  doing  much  towards  the  restoration 
of  proper  views  of  theology,  even  before  his 
conversion,  by  directing  the  attention  of  the 
students  to  the  fountain  of  all  true  knowledge 
of  divine  things,  which  was  then  so  much  ne- 
glected. 

In  the  year  1687,  the  support  of  the  scho- 
larship which  Francke  had  enjoyed  at  Kiel, 
was  again  offered  him,  with  the  advice,  that 
he  should  spend  some  time  at  Luneburg  under 
the  care  of  the  learned  and  pious  Sandhagen. 
This  offer  he  accepted,  and  soon  after  left 
Leipzig  for  that  place. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  25 


CHAPTER  II. 

His  residence  at  Lunehnrg. 

Francke  was  accustomed  to  call  Luneburg 
the  place  of  his  spiritual  birth.  It  was  here 
that  he  was  led  to  the  adoption  of  those  views, 
and  to  the  exercise  of  those  feelings  which 
so  strikingly  mark  his  after  life,  and  Avhich 
brought  upon  him  so  much  censure  from  the 
enemies  of  vital  piety.  We  have  already 
given  some  account  of  his  spiritual  state,  up 
to  the  time  of  his  departure  for  Leipzig.  At 
that  place,  he  manifested  much  zeal  in  the 
study  of  the  word  of  God,  and  some  inclina- 
tion to  a  more  devoted  life ;  but  still  he  did 
not  feel  at  ease  with  himself  There  was 
something  wanting  to  his  happiness — a  void 
in  his  soul  which  the  world  could  not  fill.  He 
knew  that  he  was  far  from  being  in  either  a 
safe  or  proper  state,  but  was,  notwithstand- 
ing, unacquainted  with  his  own  heart  and 
his  spiritual  helplessness.  He  was  without 
that  faith  which  consists  not  in  an  exercise 
of  the  intellect — which  is  not  a  thing  of  mere 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

knowledge — but  a  sincere  confidence  and  trust 
in  God,  and  a  sense  of  the  preciousness  of 
the  Saviour. 

Francke  has  given  an  account  of  this  part 
of  his  hfe  and  of  his  conversion,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  substance: — "About  the 
twenty-fourth  year  of  my  age,  I  began  to 
feel,  more  than  ever  before,  my  wretched  con- 
dition as  to  spiritual  things,  and  to  desire 
more  ardently  that  I  might  be  delivered  from 
it.  I  do  not  remember  that  any  external 
means  led  to  this  result,  unless  it  may  have 
been  my  theological  and  biblical  studies, 
which  I  pursued,  however,  with  an  entirely 
worldly  spirit.  I  was  surrounded  at  this  time 
(at  Leipzig,)  with  the  temptations  which 
worldly  society  constantly  presents,  and  was 
not  a  little  affected  by  them.  But,  in  the 
midst  of  them,  God,  of  his  mercy,  sent  his 
Spirit  to  lead  me  away  from  every  earthly 
good,  and  inclined  me  to  humble  myself  be- 
fore Him,  and  pray  for  grace  to  serve  him  in 
'  newness  of  life.'  These  words  of  Scripture 
were  impressed  upon  my  mind:  '  For  when 
ye  ought  for  the  time  to  be  teachers,  ye  have 
need  that  one  teach  you  again  what  are  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  27 

first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God.'   (Heb» 
V.  12.) — I  had  been  engaged  in  the  study  of 
theology  for  nearly  seven  years,  and  was  fa- 
miliar with  the  doctrines  of  our  church,  and 
could  defend  them  against  opposers;  I  had 
read  the  Bible  much,  and  many  other  prac- 
tical works ;  but  all  had  only  affected  my  un- 
derstanding ;  my  heart  was  as  yet  unchanged, 
and  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  begin  anew 
to  be  a  Christian.     I  found  myself  so  deplo- 
rably situated,  so  bound  to  earthly  things, 
and  so  attached  to  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
that  though  I  felt  the  need  of  reformation,  I 
was  like  one  cast  into  a  mire,  who  can  only 
stretch  out  his  hands  and  ask  for  aid.     But 
God,  in  his  infinite  compassion,  did  not  leave 
me  in  this  helpless  condition.     He  removed 
obstacle  after  obstacle  from  before  me,  and 
thus  prepared  the  way  for  my  deliverance 
from  the  bonds  of  sin.     I  became  diligent  m 
using  the  means  of  grace,  and  neglected  no 
opportunity  of  worshipping  and  serving  Him. 
I  began  to  see  a  little  light  dawning  upon  my 
path,  but  it  was  more  like  twilight  than  the 
perfect  day.     I  seemed  to  have  placed  one 
foot  upon  the  threshold  of  the  temple  of  life 


28  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

and  salvation,  but  lingered  there,  being  too 
much  attracted  by  the  temptations  of  the 
world  to  enter.  The  conviction  of  my  duty 
was  very  strong,  but  my  habits  were  so  fixed 
upon  me,  that  I  could  not  avoid  indiscretions 
in  word  and  action,  which  caused  the  keenest 
pain.  At  the  same  time,  there  was  such  a 
change  in  my  feelings,  that  I  now  longed 
after  and  loved  holiness,  spoke  of  it  frequently, 
and  declared  to  some  of  my  friends,  that  I 
was  determined  to  live,  hereafter,  a  godly  life. 
Such  a  change  was  observable  in  me,  that 
some  of  them  t]i ought  me  a  very  devoted 
Christian ;  but  i  know  well  that  I  was,  at  that 
time,  too  much  under  the  influence  of  the 
world,  and  that  my  resistance  to  my  evil  dis- 
positions was  very  feeble.  How  miserable 
would  have  been  my  condition,  had  I  con- 
tinued in  this  state,  grasping  earth  with  one 
hand,  and  reaching  after  heaven  with  the 
other — desiring  to  enjoy  both  the  world  and 
God,  but  being  at  peace  with  neither !  How 
great  is  the  love  of  God  manifested  to  men 
through  Christ  Jesus !  He  did  not  cast  me  off 
for  ever,  as  I  richly  deserved,  on  account  of 
my  heinous  sinfulness,  but  bore  with  me,  sup- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  29 

ported  my  ^veakness,  and  enabled  me  to  seek 
him.     I  can  testify,  from  my  own  experience, 
that  man  has  no  ground  of  complaint  against 
God  in  the  matter  of  his  salvation,  for  he  ever 
opens  the  door  of  mercy  to  the  soul  that  sin- 
cerely seeks  his  grace.     He  has  taken  me  by 
the  hand  and  led  me  forward  as  a  tender  pa- 
rent does  her   offspring,   and  even  when  I 
would  have  left  his  side,  he  has  brought  me 
b'^ck  again.  He  has,  in  answer  to  my  prayer, 
placed  me  now  in  a  situation  where  the  world 
need  not  allure  me  from  the  path  of  duty,  and 
where  I  have  every  advantage  for  serving 
him." 

This  situation  to  which  he  alludes  was  that 
at  Luneburg,  where  he  was  free  from  the  dis- 
tracting cares  and  duties,  as  w^ell  as  the 
temptations  of  Leipzig,  and  enjoyed  the  so- 
ciety of  a  few  truly  devout  Christians.  He 
now  made  the  duties  of  religion  a  constant 
object  of  his  attention,  and  devoted  much  of 
his  time  to  secret  prayer  and  meditation. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Luneburg,  he 

was   appointed  to  preach  a  sermon  in  the 

church  of  St.  John,  principally  with  the  design 

of  giving  him  the  opportunity  of  improving 

c2 


30  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

himself  in  the  art  of  pubhc  speaking.  But  his 
mind  was  now  in  such  a  state  that  he  could 
not  be  satisfied  with  the  idea  of  merely 
making  a  display  of  his  talents  before  the 
people ;  he  desired  rather  to  do  them  good. 
While  he  was  thus  meditating,  he  fell  upon 
the  text,  "  But  these  things  are  w  ritten  that 
ye  might  believe  on  the  Son  of  God,  and  that 
ye  might  have  life  through  his  name,"  and 
chose  it  as  the  subject  of  his  sermon.  From 
these  w^ords  he  proposed  to  show  the  nature 
of  true  faith  in  Christ,  as  distinguished  from  a 
merely  imaginary  or  speculative  belief.  While 
reflecting  upon  this  passage, the  thought  arose 
in  his  mind,  that  he  himself  had  no  such  faith 
as  that  which  he  was  about  to  describe;  and 
so  much  did  it  affect  him,  that  he  neglected 
his  serm.on  entirely,  and  turned  his  attention 
to  himself.  He  sought,  in  various  ways,  to 
obtain  that  state  of  feeling  which  he  desired ; 
but  the  more  he  strove,  the  greater  was  his 
doubt  and  difficulty.  He  found  no  relief  either 
in  the  word  of  God  or  the  writings  of  pious 
men ;  all  were  rhke  obscure  and  unmeaning 
to  him.  "  My  whole  past  life,"  says  he,  "  now 
came  before  my  mind,  and  I  could  look  over 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  31 

evei-y  part  of  it  as  one  who  examines  a  city 
from  some  lofty  steeple.  At  first,  my  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  individual  sins;  but 
soon  I  forgot  them  in  the  contemplation  of 
that  one  which  had  been  the  fountain  of  all 
the  rest,  unbelief:'  This  discovery  of  himself 
threw  him  into  the  greatest  distress.  He  had 
neither  rest  nor  peace,  but  spent  his  time 
principally  alone  in  his  apartment,  sometimes 
restlessly  walking  up  and  down — and  then. 
faUing  upon  his  knees,  and  praying  ''  to  the 
God  whom  he  did  not  know,"  as  he  expresses 
it ;  sometimes  saying,  "If  there  be  a  God,  oh ! 
let  him  have  mercy  on  me." 

"  One  Sabbath,"  he  continues,  "  it  seemed 
to  me,  that  I  could  not,  in  this  state  of  mind, 
preach  the  sermon  which  had  been  appoint-d 
me,  and  I  thought  of  postponing  it  again;  for 
I  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  preaching  against 
my  own  experience,  and  deceiving  the  people 
as  to  my  own  state.  I  felt  deeply  what  it  is 
to  have  no  God  upon  whom  my  soul  could 
depend:  to  mourn  over  sin,  and  yet  know 
not  why  it  was,  or  what  it  was  that  caused 
me  such  distress ;  to  deplore  my  wretched- 
ness, and  yet  know  no  way  of  deliverance— 


32  ME3I0IRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

no  Saviour;  even  to  be  ignorant  whether 
there  was  a  God  who  could  be  angry  with 
me !  In  this  state  of  anguish  I  kneeled  down 
again  and  again,  and  prayed  earnestly  to 
that  God  and  Saviour  in  whom  I  had,  as  yet, 
no  faith,  that  if  He  indeed  existed,  he  would 
deliver  me  from  my  misery.  At  last  he  heard 
me !  He  was  pleased,  in  his  wondrous  love,  to 
manifest  himself,  and  that,  not  in  taking  away, 
by  degrees,  my  doubts  and  fears,  but  at  once, 
and  as  if  to  overpower  all  my  objections  to 
his  power  and  his  faithfulness.  All  my  doubts 
disappeared  at  once,  and  I  was  assured  of  his 
favour,  I  could  not  only  call  him  God,  but 
my  Father.  All  my  distress  was  dispelled, 
and  I  was,  as  it  were,  inundated  with  a  flood 
oCjoy,  so  that  I  could  do  nothing  but  praise 
and  bless  the  Lord.  I  had  bowed  before  Him 
in  the  deepest  misery,  but  I  arose  with  inde- 
scribable peace  and  joy.  I  seemed  to  myself 
to  have  just  awaked  from  a  dream,  in  which 
all  my  past  life  had  been  spent.  I  was  con- 
vinced, that  the  world,  with  all  its  pleasures, 
could  not  give  such  enjoyment  as  I  now  ex- 
perienced, and  felt  that,  after  such  a  foretaste 
of  the  grace  and  goodness  of  God,  the  temp- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  33 

tations  of  earth  would  have  but  httle  effect 
upon  me." 

A  few  days  after  this,  he  preached  the  ser- 
mon already  mentioned,  and  with  much  peace 
of  mind.  He  was  able  to  say,  now,  with  the 
Apostle,  "  We  have  the  same  Spirit  of  faith, 
according  as  it  is  written ;  I  believe,  therefore 
have  I  spoken ;  we  also  believe,  and  therefore 
speak." 

From  this  time  he  dated  his  conversion, 
and,  forty  years  after,  in  his  last  prayer  in  the 
garden  of  the  Orphan  House,  he  said,  that  a 
fountain  had  been  opened  in  his  heart  from 
which  streams  of  happiness  had  uninterrupt- 
edly flowed.  From  that  time,  religion  had 
been  to  him  a  reality,  enablins:  him  to  denv 
himself  all  ungodliness,  and  every  worldly 
desire  and  affection.  Francke,  began  at 
that  time  to  regard  the  honour  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  men,  as  the  most  important 
of  all  subjects,  and  to  estimate  the  riches  and 
honours  of  the  world  as  "  vanity  of  vanities." 
He  had  now  obtained  that  knowledge  for 
which  he  had  been  so  long  seeking ;  and  the 
display  which  is  made  in  his  experience,  of 
the  blindness  of  the  natural  man,  is  truly 


34  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

striking  and  instructive.  With  the  Bible  con- 
stantly before  liiin,  and  books  upon  practical 
piety  shedding  their  light  upon  his  path,  he 
wandered,  as  if  in  perfect  darkness,  till  God 
shone  into  his  mind  with  "the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  Je- 
sus." It  was  not  until  he  had  been  brought  to 
a  most  humbling  conviction  of  his  unworthi- 
ness,  and  helplessness,  and  despaired  utterly 
of  obtaining  deliverance  from  sin  by  his  own 
efforts,  that  he  could  see  the  meetness  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  as  a  Saviour ;  and  not  until  he 
felt  an  assurance  of  pardon,  through  faith  in 
him,  that  he  found  any  permanent  peace. 
This  is  the  only  plan  upon  which  the  sinner 
can  be  admitted  to  the  favour  of  God ;  and  it 
is  the  glory  and  love,  manifested  in  this  plan, 
which  it  will  be  the  privilege  of  the  saints 
above,  for  ever  to  admire  and  adore. 

We  close  this  chapter  with  some  extracts 
from  an  account  of  his  views  and  feelings, 
at  this  time,  which  he  wrote  at  the  request 
of  some  Christian  friends,*  and  which  was  af- 


*  A  translation  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  "  Christian's  Magazine."     New  York,  1806. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  35 

terwards  published  under  the  title,  of  "  The 
Christian's  Life  of  Faith." 

"  This,"  he  begins,  "  is  the  confession  of 
my  faith,  the  truth  which  I  have  learned  from 
the  word  of  God,  and  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  sealed  upon  my  heart ;  this  is  the  course 
in  which  I  run  the  Christian  race,  and  the 
path  by  continuing  in  which  I  shall  be  pre- 
served from  every  false  way,  and  obtain  the 
prize  of  life. 

"  I  acknowledge  myself  a  poor  and  wretch- 
ed worm.  I  have,  by  sinfulness,  exposed 
myself  to  temporal  and  eternal  death.  But 
the  Son  of  God  has  given  himself  for  me, 
and  reconciled  me  to  the  Father  by  his  blood, 
so  that  God  no  more  imputes  my  sins  unto 
me,  but  reckons  to  me  for  justification,  the 
righteousness  of  his  Son,  which  I  receive  by 
faith. 

"  Through  this  faith,  which  is  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  I  am  truly  justified,  and 
in  this  justification  have  found  peace  with 
God. 

"  I  do  not,  however,  profess  to  be  without 
faults,  and  infirmities.  On  the  contrary,  I 
know  that  those  which  I  have  discovered  in 


36  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

myself,  are  almost  innumerable;  and  tiiose 
which  his  eye  alone  beholds,  are  far  more 
numerous.  Yet  since  I  am  in  Christ  Jesus, 
God  pardons,  and  overlooks  them  all,  as  a 
tender  father  the  failings  and  misconduct  of 
his  child. 

"But  though  I  thus  trust  that  I  am  not 
under  condemnation,  his  grace  does  not  ren- 
der me  careless,  and  secure ;  it  rather  excites 
me,  daily,  to  be  more  and  more  renewed  in 
the  spirit  of  my  mind.  God  has  implanted 
within  me  a  filial  fear  of  him,  which  preserves 
me  from  sinnini]^  ai^ainst  his  (^race. 

"  I  daily  fight  against  sin,  and  crucify  the 
iiesh,  with  its  affections  and  lusts  ;  yet  I  can- 
not do  this  in  my  own  strength ;  but  through 
the  Holy  Spirit,  which  dwells  in  me.  He 
purgeth  me  daily,  as  a  branch  of  the  vine, 
that  I  may  bear  more  fruit. 

"  I  am,  in  truth,  cleansed  through  the  word 
which  Christ  has  spoken,  and  in  which  I  have 
believed;  and  this  is  no  vain  imagination ;  for 
Christ  has  truly  loved  me,  and  washed  me  in 
his  blood,  so  that  my  salvation  is  rendered 
sure,  through  grace. 

"  My  beginning,  progress,  and  ending,  is  by 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  37 

iaith  ill  Jesus  Christ.  When  I  feel  my  utter 
inability,  and  acknowledge  that  I  can  do 
nothing  of  myself,  and  cast  myself  alone  upon 
his  mercy,  and  look  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who 
bore  our  sins,  I  feel  a  new  power  communi- 
cated to  my  soul. 

"1  do  not  seek  to  be  justified  in  one  way, 
and  sanctified  in  another.  I  have  but  one 
wa}Jfcnd  that  is  Christ,  who  is  the  w^ay,  the 
trut^^md  the  life. 

"^^frest  on  nothing  but  Christ,  Avhen  I 
pleaa^m  the  pardon  of  sin,  so  I  cleave  to 
him  alone,  in  my  efforts,  to  increase  in  faith, 
and  hope,  and  love. 

"  When  I  yield  myself  to  his  control,  and 
do  not  oppose  the  workings  of  his  Spirit,  he 
then  works  in  me,  both  to  will  and  to  do  of 
his  good  pleasure.  Happy  are  they  who  do 
not  turn  away  from  his  influences. 

"  To  the  humble,  the  Lord  is  friendly,  for 
the  graces  of  the  Spirit  are  richly  dispensed 
to  contrite  hearts. 

"  While  the  soul  acknowledges  no  merit 
in  itself,  but  finds  its  all  in  Christ,  we  shall  be 
filled  \Wth  heavenly  peace:  but  as  soon  as  we 


38  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

become  pufted  up,  we  tread  a  path  of  error, 
strewed  with  anxiety  and  danger. 

"  Nevertheless,  God  has  his  appointed  sea- 
sons for  the  trial  and  humiliation  of  his  peo- 
ple; and  although  the  believer  may  not  depart 
from  the  right  way,  he  must  expect  to  pass 
through  many  tribulations,  that  the  secret 
depravity  of  his  heart  may  be  revealed  to  him. 

"How  readily  do  we  deviate  fi^^the 
straight  and  narrow  way!  How  o|^B5oes 
the  believer  suffer  himself  to  be  ^^^vay 
from  Christ,  and  his  trust  in  him,  t<^Hempt 
a  mere  legal  obedience !  How  prone  is  he  to 
forsake  the  Gospel,  for  the  law! 

"  The  Gospel  has  a  divine  simplicity,  and 
makes  the  believer  kind  and  affectionate  to- 
wards all  men.  The  Gospel  is  a  shining 
light;  a  pure  stream  of  peace;  it  leads  us 
away  from  dependence  upon  ourselves;  it 
introduces  us  to  the  enjoyment  of  God,  and 
puts  us  in  possession  of  salvation. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  who  is  not  ashamed 
of  his  hope ;  a  shame  which  all  must  expe- 
rience, who  follow  the  doctrines  of  men,  and 
trust  in  them  more  than  in  Christ. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  39 

"  The  carnal  heart  discerns  no  otlier  way 
of  obtaining  happiness,  than  by  its  own 
works ;  but  the  way  of  the  Lord  is  directly 
the  reverse.  He  brings  down  our  pride, 
shows  us  how  vain  is  all  our  sufficiency,  that 
He  may  be  all  in  all.  Lord  Jesus !  lead  me 
by  thy  good  spirit  in  the  right  way." 

These  extracts  will  show  that  Francke 
had^eady  become  well  acquainted  with  the 
tru^Bkture  and  importance  of  faith,  that 
doctnf^  which  was  so  much  mistaken  at  that 
time.  '  He  here  describes  this  grace,  princi- 
pally in  reference  to  the  experience  of  the 
believer's  own  heart.  That  he  did  not  make 
it  a  mere  matter  of  feelmg,  and  of  no  practi- 
cal effect  upon  his  life,  as  is  too  often  the 
case,  will  be  abundantly  proved  in  the  suc- 
ceeding part  of  the  narrative. 


40  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

His  residence  in  Hamburg — Return  to  Leipzig — Diffi- 
culties at  that  place — Settlement  at  Erfurt — La- 
bours there — Appointment  to  a  Professorship  at 
Halle. 


During  the  remainder  of  his  stay  aU^ne- 
burg,  Francke  continued  his  stiidie^Hder 
the  care  of  Sandhagen,  paying  partic^K-  at- 
tention to  the  languages,  and  interpretation 
of  the  Bible.  He  had,  as  at  Leipzig,  formed 
a  society  for  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  ;  and 
when  we  consider  that  the  word  of  God  was 
so  much  neglected  by  preachers,  and  others, 
we  cannot  but  think  this  one  of  the  most 
useful  associations  which  could  have  existed 
at  that  time.  His  efforts,  in  this  way,  strik- 
ingly display  one  trait  in  his  character ;  and 
that  was,  that  he  was  never  willing  to  suffer 
opportunities  for  doing  good,  to  pass  by  un- 
improved. Where  he  could  not  employ  the 
more  extensive  means  of  usefulness,  he  was 
satisfied  with  those  which  were  less  import- 
ant,  and  used  them  to  the  utmost  of  his 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  41 

ability.  About  February,  1688,  he  left  this 
place,  and  went  to  Hamburg,  where  he  re- 
sided, until  near  the  close  of  the  same  year. 
He  was  very  happily  situated  here,  on  ac- 
count of  the  Christian  society,  with  which 
he  had  the  opportunity  of  mingling.  He 
found  intercourse  with  persons  of  like  feel- 
ings with  himself,  to  be  both  pleasant  and 
profitable.  He  recommends  strongly,  to 
Chrig|ians,  the  practice  of  associating  with 
one  another,  for  mutual  improvement ;  for 
it  is  with  them,  as  he  said,  as  with  coals 
of  fire,  which,  when  placed  together,  increase 
each  other's  heat ;  but  when  separated,  are 
soon  extinguished.  He  became  acquainted 
here,  with  the  pious  and  excellent  Nicholas 
Lange,  afterwards  superintendant  in  Bran- 
denburg. By  conversing  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  education,  he  became  so  much  in- 
terested therein,  that  he  determined  to  open 
a  private  school,  for  children,  in  Hamburg. 
This  employment  had  an  important  influence 
on  his  character,  and  the  course  of  his  future 
life.  He  states,  that  in  the  teaching  of  this 
school,  he  learned  to  practice  that  patience, 
and  forbearance,  for  which  he  was  afterwards 


42  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

SO  remarkable.  He  discovered  here  the  great 
deficiency  of  proper  instruction  in  the  schools 
of  his  country ;  and  hence  arose  a  strong 
desire  to  be  the  means  of  improving  and 
reforming  them.  He  often  said,  his  en- 
gagements at  Hamburg  were  the  cause  of 
all  the  exertions  he  afterwards  made  in  the 
same  way. 

In  December,  1688,  he  received  agam  the 
offer  of  the  scholarship,  which  had  supported 
him  at  Kiel,  with  the  permission  to  go  to 
any  other  university  which  he  might  choose. 
While  making  up  his  mind  where  he  should 
now  continue  his  studies,  the  words  of  our 
Saviour  to  Peter,  "  when  thou  art  converted, 
strengthen  thy  brethren,"  determined  him  to 
return  to  Leipzig.  Here  he  had  received  the 
appointment  of  private  teacher,  and  had  a 
large  circle  of  acquaintances,  so  that  his  op- 
portunities of  usefulness  would  be  considera- 
ble, both  among  them  and  the  students.  He 
trusted  too,  that  as  some  interest  had  been 
excited  there,  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  dur- 
ing his  former  residence,  it  would  not  be  diffi- 
cult to  renew  and  increase  that  interest,  and 
thus  gain  access  to  the  minds  of  many.     He 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  43 

foresaw  tliat  his  views  of  the  necessity  of  an 
entire  change  of  heart,  and  of  the  import- 
ance of  somethinof  more  than  mere  know- 
ledge,  to  prepare  one  for  the  duties  of  the 
ministry,  would  not  be  approved  at  Leipzig. 
But  he  determined,  relying  upon  divine  as- 
sistance, to  declare  the  truth  openly,  and 
faithfully,  whatever  difficulties  might  be 
thrown  in  his  way. 

But  before  he  began  his  labours,  he  deter- 
mined to  pay  a  visit  to  Spener,  that  he  might 
gain  some  knowledge  of  his  character  and 
mode  of  preaching ;  and  confirm  himself,  by 
intercourse  with  him,  in  the  views  which  he 
had  adopted.  He  accordingly  went  to  Dres- 
den, where  he  was  most  kindly  received  by 
Spener,  in  whose  family  he  took  up  his  abode. 
During  a  stay  of  two  months,  he  had  full  op- 
portunity of  making  known  his  plans  and 
^vishes,  and  of  receiving  counsel  and  en- 
couragement. Spener  fully  approved  his 
plans  and  feelings,  and  gave  him  the  promise 
of  his  countenance  and  support.  These  two 
months  Francke  ever  considered  as  among 
the  most  happy  and  improving  of  his  life. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1689,  he  be- 


44  MEMOIRS  OF  FIIANCKE. 

gaii,  as  a  private  teacher,*  to  deliver  lectures, 
the  subjects  of  which  were  generally  some  of 
the  Epistles  of  Paul  in  the  New  Testament- 
He  read  a  course  of  lectures  too,  upon  the 
difficulties  of  the  study  of  Theology.  They 
were  all  of  a  practical  character,  and  promis- 
ed, together  with  the  societies  for  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures,  which  increased  in  number 
and  interest,  to  be  very  useful.  The  approba- 
tion with  which  he  was  received,  was  so 
great,  that  the  room  in  which  he  lectured 
could  not  contain  his  class,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  obtain  the  use  of  one  of  the  public  lecture 
rooms.  But  even  this  was  very  soon  so 
much  crowded,  that  many  of  his  hearers  were 
compelled  to  stand  at  the  door  and  windows. 
He  employed  various  other  means,  which  it 
is  unnecessary  to  relate,  for  producing  the 
effect  which  he  desired — the  promotion  of 
true  religion. 

His  untiring  exertions  were  not  without 
effect.  Olearius,  the  Rector  of  the  Univer- 
sity, when  Francke  visited  him  one  day,  em- 

*  Private  teachers,  are  those  students  in  the  German  Univer- 
sities, who  spend  some  time  longer  than  the  usual  course  in  the 
study  of  some  particular  branch,  and  are  then  examined,  and  if 
approved,  allowed  to  deliver  lectures  in  private. 


ME3I01RS  OF  FRAiNCKE.  45 

braced  him,  and  said,  with  tears  of  gratitude, 
that  he  had  seen  the  effects  of  his  labours 
upon  his  son,  who,  before  he  had  come  to 
Leipzig,  had  been  far  from  promising,  but  was 
now  an  entirely  different  man,  and  had  been 
the  means  of  a  great  change  in  his  whole 
family.  There  were  many  instances  of  this 
kind.  Not  a  few  of  the  theological  students, 
who  were  without  piety,  were  brought  to  true 
repentance,  and  began  their  studies  with  new 
zeal  and  a  new  spirit.  Francke  expresses  his 
gratitude  to  God,  that  he  had  been  permitted 
to  see  this  result,  and  that  many  of  them  were 
enabled  to  endure,  with  a  truly  Christian 
temper,  the  reproaches  cast  on  them  by  their 
fellow  students  on  account  of  their  change  of 
character. 

The  talents  of  Francke  were  peculiarly 
suited  to  the  sphere  in  which  he  now^  labour- 
ed. The  statement  made  in  the  epitaph 
ordered  by  the  academical  senate  at  Halle, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  reference  to  his 
labours  at  Leipzig,  is  highly  honourable  to  him. 
"  His  mind  was  one  of  high  powers,  and  had 
been  highly  improved  by  the  long  course  of 
study  through  w^hich  he  had  gone.     Besides 


46  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

this,  he  was  endowed  abundantly  by  the  in- 
fluences of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  added  not 
a  little  to  its  original  qualities.  His  manners 
and  deportment,  far  removed  from  conformity 
to  the  world,  were  characterized  by  that  humil- 
ity and  simplicity,  which  were  so  eminent  in 
the  master  whom  he  served ;  and  his  pleasant- 
ness of  disposition,  and  his  kindness  to  all  men, 
secured  him  access  to  every  heart.  Thus  quali- 
fied for  his  work,  when  he  came  before  an 
audience,  he  seldom  failed  in  securing  the  at- 
tention, and  interesting  to  the  highest  degree 
the  feelings,  of  his  hearers.  This  was  especi- 
ally the  case  in  his  semions,  where  the  object 
was  their  spiritual  and  eternal  welfare.  On 
these  occasions  it  seemed  sometimes  as 
though  he  could  not  cease  to  speak  until  his 
object  had  been  secured." 

We  have  stated  that  Francke  anticipated 
opposition  in  his  labours  at  Leipzig.  In  this 
he  was  not  disappointed.  The  party  in  the 
church  who  were  so  violent  in  their  censures 
of  Spener,  could  not  look  with  indifference 
upon  these  efforts  of  Francke  to  extend  the 
hated  principles  of  Pietism.  He  was  envied, 
too,  on  account  of  the  number  of  his  hearers, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  47 

and  his  popularity  among  the  students.  The 
most  trivial  objections  were  made  against 
him ;  as  for  instance,  that  he  delivered  some 
of  his  lectures  in  the  German  instead  of 
the  Latin  language,  which  was  commonly 
used  among  scholars  at  that  day ;  that  he 
made  the  way  of  salvation  too  difficult ;  that 
he  held  himself  up  as  a  model  of  piety  ;  that 
he  professed  to  know  more  of  the  plan  of 
salvation  than  those  older  and  wiser  than  he ; 
that  "  he  strained  at  a  gnat,  and  swallowed  a 
camel."  They  called  him  a  Separatist,  a 
founder  of  a  new  sect  of  Pietists,  and  a  hypo- 
crite ;  and  all  because  they  could  not  under- 
stand how  any  one  should  seek  after  holiness 
with  so  much  earnestness  as  he  did,  or  labour 
with  so  much  activity  to  do  good  without 
some  wrong  motive  at  heart.  Their  bitter- 
ness  and  activity  against  him  created,  eventu- 
ally, a  considerable  excitement;  and  the  court 
hearing  of  it,  ordered  an  investigation  of  the 
difficulties.  Francke  was  summoned  before 
a  commission  appointed  for  this  purpose,  to- 
gether with  some  of  his  friends ;  but  although 
the  theological  faculty,  and  the  ministers  of 
the  city  were,  for  the  most  part,  opposed  to 


48  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

him,  he  was  declared  innocent  of  any  im- 
proper conduct.  He  published  shortly  after 
a  defence  of  his  principles,  and  he  was  active- 
ly supported  by  some  of  the  private  teachers 
and  professors ;  but  the  theological  faculty 
still  continued  their  opposition.  They  declar- 
ed that  private  teachers  had  no  right  to  de- 
liver theological  lectures. — Francke  replied, 
that  he  had  not  touched  upon  any  of  the 
theological  controversies,  but  had  confined 
himself  to  the  explanation  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  the  practical  application  of  them,  and 
that  this  was  a  right  of  every  Christian.  But 
notwithstanding  this,  his  lectures  were  for- 
bidden ;  and  after  lecturing,  for  a  short  time, 
under  the  direction  and  protection  of  the 
philosophical  faculty,  he  left  Leipzig  for 
Lubeck,  where  he  was  called  by  the  death  of 
his  uncle.  He  had,  previously  to  this,  made 
some  short  excursions  to  various  neighbour- 
ing towns,  and  among  the  rest  to  Jena, 
Erfurt,  and  Gotha,  in  each  of  which  places  he 
preached;  and  the  excellence  of  his  sermons, 
together  with  his  peculiarly  charming  deport- 
ment, not  only  created  for  him  many  friends, 
but  was  the  means  of  doing  much  good. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  49 

After  he  had  finished  his  business  at  Lubeck, 
and  was  preparing  to  return  to  Leipzig  again, 
he  received  an  invitation  to  preach  in  the 
church  of  St.  Augustine,  in  Erfurt.  He  looked 
upon  this  call  as  providential ;  and  though, 
from  the  sentiments  of  the  ministers  at  Erfurt, 
he  could  expect  nothing  but  violent  opposi- 
tion there,  he  detemiined  to  accept  it.  He  was 
soon  after  appointed  preacher  in  that  church. 
Among  the  ministers  at  this  place  he  found 
one  of  the  same  views  with  himself,  who  after- 
wards proved  himself  a  faithful  friend.  This 
was  Dr.  I.  J.  Breithaupt,  whom  he  had  known 
at  Kiel.  They  both  preached,  with  earnest- 
ness and  plainness,  the  necessity  of  an  entire 
change  of  heart,  and  a  union  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  by  faith,  as  the  only  ground  of 
salvation.  The  people,  who  were  awakened 
by  these  representations  to  a  sense  of  their 
true  situation,  could  find  nothing  to  satisfy 
the  lonorinors  of  their  souls  after  holiness  and 
happiness,  in  the  cold  and  merely  moral  ser- 
mons of  the  other  ministers  of  Erfurt.  They 
flocked  to  the  churches  of  Francke  and  Breit- 
liaupt,  where  the  way  of  mercy  was  opened 
to  their  darkened  minds,  and  many  were  con- 

E 


50  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

verted  unto  the  Lord.  Many  of  the  Catho- 
lics, too,  attended  their  preaching,  and  were 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Besides 
their  public  preaching,  Francke  and  Breit- 
haupt  held  social  meetings  daily  in  their 
houses,  in  which  they  explained  to  the  people 
more  famiharly  the  sermons  which  they  heard, 
and  spoke  with  individuals  on  the  state  of 
their  own  hearts.  Francke  also  delivered 
lectures  daily  upon  the  Bible  to  the  students 
at  this  place,  and  a  number  of  students  left 
Leipzig  and  Jena,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
attending  them.  Another  means  of  doing  good 
which  he  employed,  and  which  was  peculiarly 
important  among  a  people  so  ignorant  on  the 
subject  of  religion  was,  the  selling  and  gra- 
tuitous distribution  of  New  Testaments,  and 
other  books  upon  practical  piety. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  these  labours 
would  pass  without  frequent  and  severe  cen- 
sure. To  most  of  the  people  of  Erfurt,  the 
doctrines  which  he  preached,  though  the 
simple  truths  of  the  gospel,  were  entirely  new. 
A  few  who  compared  them  with  the  Scrip- 
tures, acknowledged  that  they  were  accord- 
ing to  the  word  of  God ;  but  the  majority 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  51 

could  give  them  no  other  name  than  pietism, 
or  fanaticism.  The  circumstance,  that  he  had 
frequently  ordered  New  Testaments,  and 
"  Arnd's  True  Christianity,"  from  Luneburg, 
occasioned  a  report  that  he  was  circulating 
heretical  books  among  the  people.  The 
magistrates  issued  an  order,  that  no  such 
books  should  be  brought  into  the  city. 
Francke  did  not,  as  was  natural,  suppose 
that  such  books  as  he  had  sent  for,  were  for- 
bidden by  this  edict,  and  continued  to  circu- 
late them.  They  now  gave  directions  to  take 
possession  of  every  package  which  was  direct- 
ed to  him.  Very  soon  after,  one  arrived ; 
and  Francke  being  called  before  them,  was 
asked,  "how  he  had  dared  to  disobey  their 
order;"  he  assured  them  that  he  had  not 
done  so.  The  officer,  to  convict  him  of  guilt, 
caused  the  package  to  be  brought  and  opened, 
when,  to  his  surprise  and  confusion,  it  was 
found  to  contain  nothing  but  New  Testa- 
ments. Francke  was  of  course  honourably 
dismissed.  The  effect  of  the  affair  was  to 
make  it  known  through  the  city,  that  he  had 
New  Testaments  to  dispose  of,  and  thus  to 
increase  the  demand  for  them  a  hundred  fold. 


53  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

He  had  now  resided  fifteen  months  in 
Erfurt,  when,  in  consequence  of  some  secret 
insinuations  of  his  enemies,  which  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  elector  of  Mayence,  he  sent  a  de- 
cree to  Erfurt,  which  directed  that,  "inasmuch 
as  Mr.  Francke  was  a  leader  of  a  new  sect 
of  fanatics,  and  the  cause  of  much  disturb- 
ance, he  should  be  dismissed  from  his  office, 
and  ordered  immediately  to  leave  the  city/' 
As  soon  as  Francke  heard  of  diis,  he  went  be- 
fore the  council,  and  complained  to  them,  but 
without  effect;  for  he  was  immediately  deposed 
from  his  office,  and  ordered  to  leave  the  city 
within  twenty-iour  hours.  He  did  not  resist 
this  order;  but,  conscious  of  his  innocence, 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  magistrate,  calmly  repre- 
senting the  impropriety  of  condemning  him 
unheard,  and  even  without  letting  him  know 
the  crimes  of  which  he  was  accused ;  thus  deny- 
ing him  a  privilege  which  was  granted  even  to 
robbers  and  murderers.  A  large  and  respect- 
able body  of  citizens  petitioned  in  his  behalf, 
and  the  children  of  his  congregation  came 
and  asked  upon  their  knees  that  he  might  re- 
main. But  it  was  all  in  vain,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  prepare  for  his  departure. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  53 

The  few  hours  that  he  was  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  city,  he  spent  in  exhorting  his 
friends,  who  assembled  at  his  house,  to  con- 
tinue steadfast  in  the  grace  which  they  had 
received.  They  wept  sore  at  the  thought  of 
his  departure;  but  he  was  comforted  by  the 
abundant  consolations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
left  the  city  in  a  very  happy  state  of  mind. 
He  returned  to  his  mother  and  family  at 
Gotha,  and  by  the  way  composed  a  beautiful 
hymn,  expressive  of  his  peace  and  joy. 

The  Duke  of  Gotha  when  he  heard  of  these 
proceedings,  sent  one  of  his  ministers  to  in- 
quire into  the  affair ;  and  being  convinced  of 
Francke's  entire  innocence,  expostulated  with 
the  magistrates  of  Erfurt;  and  when  this  pro- 
duced no  effect,  with  the  elector  himself.  His 
object  was  not,  however,  to  restore  him  to 
his  station  at  Erfurt;  he  wished  to  retain  him 
in  his  own  dominions.  At  the  same  time  he 
received  offers  from  several  of  the  neighbour- 
ing princes ;  from  the  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg 
of  a  professorship,  and  from  the  Duke  of  SaxCi- 
Weimar,  of  the  station  of  court  preacher. 
But  the  finger  of  Providence  seemed  to  him 
to  have  already  pointed  out  the  path  of  duty. 
E   2 


M 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


The  same  day  that  he  was  ordered  to  leave 
Erfurt,  he  received  a  letter  from  the  Elector 
of  Brandenburg,  inviting  him  to  his  domi- 
nions; and  he  determined  to  wait  the  issue 
of  this  invitation.  About  a  month  afterwards, 
he  received  the  appointment  of  professor  of 
Greek  and  Oriental  languages  in  the  new 
University  at  Halle,  and  Pastor  of  the  church 
of  St.  George  in  Glaucha,  a  suburb  of  that 
place.   He  arrived  in  Halle  in  January  1692. 


MEMOIRS  OF  PRANCKE.  55 

CHAPTER  III. 
His  Labours  as  a  Pastor. 

As  Francke  was  appointed  at  the  same 
time  both  a  professor  and  pastor,  the  account 
of  the  remainder  of  his  hfe,  will  embrace  his 
labours  in  both  these  stations;  yet  as  the 
duties  of  the  two  offices  were  almost  entirely 
distinct,  we  shall,  to  avoid  confusion,  give 
separate  accounts  of  them.  He  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  his  pastoral  office,  in  February 
1692.  He  found  the  church  at  Glaucha  in  a 
most  deplorable  condition.  It  had  been  for 
some  time  without  a  pastor,  and  the  last  one 
whose  ministry  it  had  enjoyed,  was  far  from 
being  the  man  who  would  be  useful  to  such  a 
people.  He  had  been  dissolute  and  abandon- 
ed, and  had  been  deposed  from  his  office  on 
account  of  some  flagrant  crimes.  His  influ- 
ence, together  with  the  want  of  any  spiritual 
instruction  for  some  time,  left  the  village  of 
Glaucha,  not  only  without  any  thing  like 
piety,  but  without  the  external  propriety  of 
conduct  which  may  exist  without  it.     Vice, 


56  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

in  almost  all  its  forms,  was  practised,  and  as 
a  consequence  of  this,  poverty  and  misery 
prevailed.  Francke  found,  therefore,  a  wide 
field  for  labour,  and  one  which  few  persons 
would  have  attempted  to  cultivate.  But  he 
devoted  himself  to  this  work,  and  for  the 
first  two  years  almost  exclusively,  trusting  in 
the  promise  of  divine  assistance,  to  them  who 
labour  faithfully  in  his  service.  We  will  give 
some  account,  in  this  place,  of  the  various 
means  he  employed  for  doing  good,  and  the 
success  which  attended  them. 

His  sermons  were  here,  as  they  had  been  at 
Erfurt,  the  effusions  of  a  heart  warmed  with 
the  love  of  souls,  and  deeply  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  the  truths  which  he  preach- 
ed. He  spent  no  time  in  useless  discussions, 
but  declared  in  all  the  variety  of  their  bear- 
ings, the  great  doctrines  of  man's  depravity, 
and  salvation  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ.  Such  preaching  as  this,  does 
not  seem  strange  to  us,  in  our  day ;  but  in 
Francke's  times  it  was  truly  novel,  and  to 
the  carnal  heart  exceedingly  unwelcome.  But 
the  earnestness  of  his  delivery,  and  the  sim- 
plicity, and  spirituality,  and  intimate  acquaint- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  57 

ance  with  the  human  heart,  which  he  mani- 
fested, always  secm-ed  an  attentive  audience. 

We  subjoin  a  few  extracts  from  some  of 
his  discourses,  from  which,  though  an  Enghsh 
paraphrase  feebly  expresses  the  spirit  and 
beauty  of  the  original,  some  idea  of  his  style 
may  be  gathered. 

In  a  sermon,  upon  the  work  of  redemption, 
he  begins  thus—"  It  is  with  the  highest  satis- 
faction, my  hearers,  that  I  discuss  this  sub- 
ject, since  it  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the 
Scriptures ;  all  our  salvation,  all  our  happi- 
ness, depends  upon  the  fact,  that  Jesus  Christ 
has  given  himself  for  the  sins  of  men.     But 
though   this  be  the  case,  so  many  act   as 
though  it  were  not  a  fact,  that  a  redemption 
for  men  had  been  provided,  or  if  it  has,  that 
it  is  not  a  matter  of  so  much  consequence 
to  every  one  as  it  is  represented,  that  it  be- 
comes a  matter  of  great  importance,  to  ex- 
amine and  prove  this -great  fundamental  truth 
of  Christianity."— In  the  first  division  of  his 
sermon,  he  treats  of  this  great  work,  in  itself 
considered ;  and  discusses  the  different  topics 
of  the  person  and  character  of  the  Redeemer ; 
whom  he  has   redeemed;  from  what  state 


58  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

and  in  what  way ;  and  what  is  to  be  the  effect 
upon  them.  Tiie  second  part  treats  of  the 
appropriation  of  this  redemption.  "  It  is," 
he  says,  "  a  strange  and  fatal  error,  which 
men  sometimes  entertain,  that  Christ  died 
that  they  might  Hve  and  indulge  in  sin ;  that 
inasmuch  as  he  has  died  for  men,  he  has  thus 
satisfied  the  divine  justice;  and  now  all  that 
is  necessary,  is  for  them  to  believe  that  he 
has  thus  offered  himself,  and  they  will  be  se- 
cure. This  is  far  from  the  truth.  Man 
must  feel  himself  a  poor  and  helpless  sinner ; 
that  he  is  even  now  under  condemnation,  and 
deserves  nothing  from  a  righteous  God  but 
eternal  misery,  and  must  become  truly  penitent 
and  humble.  When  in  such  a  state  of  mind, 
all  the  false  comfort  he  may  have  derived 
from  the  merits  of  the  Saviour,  will  disappear. 
He  will  feel  the  need  of  a  complete  change 
of  nature,  and  a  closer  union,  than  aught  he 
had  before  conceived,  between  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  his  soul.  Then,  when  he  is  truly  convinced 
of  his  ill  desert  and  misery,  the  Son  of  God 
will  appear  to  him  in  his  precious  Gospel, 
saying,  in  language  of  the  most  endearing 
and  condescending  love,    "I  have  died  for 


MEMOIRS  OF  FHANCKE.  59 

thee,  and  atoned  for  all  thy  sms.  I  have 
mourned  that  thou  hast  gone  on  so  long  in 
thy  bUndness,  and  impenitence,  heaping  up 
wrath  against  thyself,  and  despising  all  my 
sufferings.  I  now  rejoice  that  thou  seest  thy 
sin  and  misery,  and  the  anguish  which  thy 
transgressions  have  caused  me.  Thou  art  now 
in  the  right  way,  for  thy  heart  is  now  brought 
to  a  godly  sorrow  for  sin,  which  works  the 
repentance  unto  life.  Behold  now  I  have 
sprinkled  thee  with  atoning  blood,  as  I  ever 
do  the  hearts  that  mourn  over  sin.  Be  com- 
forted! I  died  upon  the  cross,  arose  and 
ascended  on  high,  to  deliver  thee  from  the 
power  of  sin  and  Satan.  Beliold !  I  deliver 
thee  from  all  unrighteousness,  from  death  and 
hell.  I  am  thine,  and  thou  art  mine.  Thou  hast 
been  long  sinning  against  God,  and  exposed 
to  his  wrath,  but  now  thou  art  pardoned  and 
secure.  Thou  hast  now  a  righteousness 
w^hich  thou  canst  plead  before  God.  Believe 
in  me.  Put  all  thy  trust  in  me.". . .  "Thus  faith 
appropriates  the  merits  of  the  Redeemer.  It 
does  not  add  any  thing  to  those  merits,  but 
it  is,  so  to  speak,  the  hand  by  which  they  are 
received.     Now  the  sinner  having  cast  away 


60  BIEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

all  reliance  upon  himself,  gives  himself  away 
to  Christ,  and  through  the  spirit  of  grace 
which  is  given  to  him,  his  whole  heart  is  re- 
newed; he  is  a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus. 
He  now  serves,  with  joy  and  gratitude,  that 

Saviour  who  has   redeemed  him." "I 

add  nothing  more  than  to  direct  you  all  to 
Him.  Go  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  receive 
from  him  grace  for  grace.  Stay  not  away, 
thinking  it  too  late  for  you  to  return  to  him. 
He  will  never  reject  the  sinner  who  returns. 
Be  assured  that  no  one  who  comes,  and  with 
contrite  heart  says,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner,'  wdll  be  cast  out.  Do  not  suppose 
that  they  only  should  come,  who  are  sancti- 
fied, in  part,  from  sin.  The  Lord  Jesus  looks 
not  on  your  w^orthiness;  but  is  ready,  for  his 
mercy's  sake,  to  receive  the  vilest  offenders. 
You  cannot,  and  you  must  not,  attempt  to 
prepare  yourselves  by  your  own  righteous- 
ness to  come  to  him.  He  must  begin,  and 
carry  on,  and  complete  the  work  of  your  sal- 
vation.    Go  and  believe  in  him." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  his  sermons 
is  that  upon  saving  faith.  After  showing  it 
to  be  a  doctrine  of  the  word  of  God,  that 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  61 

doctrine  by  which  the  Refonners  had  succeed- 
ed in  overcoming  the  errors  of  popery,  and 
which  is  a  test  of  the  purity,  or  impurity  of 
the  church,  he  treats  of  its  nature  and  effects. 
His  fourth  topic  is,  that  faith  secures  us  hap- 
piness. "  But,  while  faith,"  he  says,  "  is  the 
ground  of  our  justification,  it  is  also  the  means 
of  happiness;  for  righteousness  and  peace 
cannot  be  separated  from  one  another.  But 
when  we  say  that  our  happiness  is  secured, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  something  more 
is  intended,  than  that  we  shall  hereafter  be 
admitted  into  heaven.  This  happiness  begins 
from  the  moment  of  our  justification.  For 
we  are  then  delivered  from  the  wrath  and 
curse  of  God,  from  the  power  of  sin  and  death. 
We  are  brought  out  of  darkness  into  light, 
from  death  unto  life.  God  the  Father  brings 
us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  Son,  and  gives  us 
the  pledge  of  an  inheritance,  even  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  renews  us  in  his  image,  day  by 
day ;  awakens  a  holy  fear,  and  love  in  our 
hearts,  so  that  we  run  with  alacrity  in  the 
way  of  his  commandments,  and  think  it  our 
meat  and  drink  to  do  his  will.  Thus  does 
the  believer's  happiness  commence.     He  novr 

F 


62  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

knows  that  his  heavenly  Father  loves  him, 
and  that  he  will  help  him  to  overcome  every 
adversary  to  his  peace.  He  is  now  united 
to  Christ,  and  knows  that  He  is  his  riches, 
his  glory,  his  all.  He  knows  that  his  prayers 
will  be  heard  through  the  merits  of  Christ ; 
and  that  all  needful  things  will  be  given  him. 
He  has  the  spirit  of  God  dwelling  in  his  heart, 
filling  him  with  all  knowledge,  and  enabling 
him  to  grow  daily  in  faith  and  love.  He 
finds  happiness,  too,  in  the  service  of  God,  in 
doing  good  to  all  men  as  he  has  opportunity, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  true  benevolence  and 
compassion.  He  is,  by  his  union  with  the 
Redeemer,  changed  into  the  heavenly  image; 
and  although  he  dwells  on  earth,  and  mingles 
in  the  affairs  of  men,  his  conversation  is  in 
heaven ;  and  he  joins  in  spirit  with  its  blessed 
inhabitants  in  prayer  and  praise  to  God. 
His  heart  is  in  heaven,  for  there  he  has  laid 
up  his  treasure;  and  through  the  Spirit  he  holds 
perpetual  intercourse  with  God.  Oh  !  what 
blessedness  is  this !  thus  to  be  united,  in  the 
closest  ties,  with  the  adorable  Trinity;  to 
have  the  Great  God  dwelling  in  our  hearts, 
and  holding  his  court  there ;  to  have  angeis 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRA.NCKE.  63 

for  our  ministers,  and  to  know  that  as  Christ 
overcame,  and  is  seated  on  his  throne,  so 
shall  we  triumph  over  our  foes,  and  sit  down 
with  him  in  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  This 
blessedness  is  begun  below;  but  it  is  com- 
pleted in  that  other  world,  where  sin  and  sor- 
row can  never  enter  to  mar  his  peace ;  and 
where  the  ransomed  sinner  shall  be  conformed 
to  the  image  of  his  God,  and  see  his  face,  and 
praise  him  for  ever  and  ever !" 

We  have  not  room  for  any  further  speci- 
mens of  his  preaching,  though  many  might 
be  fomid  superior  to  these  in  novelty  and 
beauty  of  thought.  These  avIH  suffice  to 
show  how  he  treated  the  grand  and  funda- 
mental truths  of  the  Christian  religion.  His 
sermons  bore  marks  of  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  the  Scriptures,  and  abounded  with 
illustrations  drawn  from  them.  They  were 
rather  calculated  to  allure  by  the  tenderness 
of  love,  than  to  arouse  by  the  terrors  of 
judgment.  He  did  not,  however,  conceal  the 
tremendous  doom  of  the  ungodly,  nor  by  a 
false  compassion,  suffer  the  sinner  to  hope  that 
all  would  be  well  with  him  at  last,  though  re- 


64  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

maining  impenitent.  He  used  "  great  plain- 
ness of  speech,"  and  boldly  testified  against 
prevailing  sins,  and  thus  often  drew  upon 
himself  the  odium  of  the  worldly  and  self- 
righteous,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel. 

In  addition  to  his  public  discourses,  he  held 
social  meetings  of  various  kinds  among  the 
people.  The  most  important  of  these  was 
one  which  he  held  morning  and  evening,  at 
first  in  his  own  house,  and  afterwards  in  the 
church,  and  which  was  conducted  upon  nearly 
the  same  plan  with  social  prayer  meetings  in 
this  country.  The  circumstances  which  gave 
rise  to  them  wi^ie  these:  some  of  his  parish- 
ioners who  had  at  various  times  been  present 
at  his  family  prayers,  expressed  a  desire  to 
be  permitted  to  attend  them  regularly.  He 
of  course  consented ;  the  attendants  gradually 
increased  in  numbers,  and  the  effect  upon 
many  of  them  was  of  the  happiest  kind.  In 
consequence  of  some  circumstances  which  we 
shall  mention  hereafter,  he  removed  these 
meetings  to  the  church;  and  was  in  the  habit 
of  explaining  a  portion  of  scripture,  or  of 
"  Arnd's  True  Religion,"  of  questioning  those 


3IEM0IRS  OF  FRANCKE.  05 

present  on  the  sermons  which  they  heard,  and 
of  exhorting  them  plainly  and  affectionately 
to  repentance  and  faith. 

He  attempted  very  soon  after  he  began  his 

labours  at  Halle,  to  brino[  about  a  chano^e  in 

^    the  views  and  conduct  of  the  people,  in  refer- 

^  J^  ence  to  the  confessional,*  and  among  other 

Y       things,  refused  to  receive  the  money  which  it 

f        was  common  to  o^ive  to  the  ministers  at  such 

f        times.     In  this  way  he  was,  without  doubt, 

very  useful ;  for  many  of  the  poorer  people 

never  came  to  the  communion  table,  for  want 

of  the  money  which  they  thought  it  necessary 

to  give  the  minister;  and  some  indulged  the 

idea,  that  they  were  paying  for  the  pardon  of 

their  sins  with  money. 

Francke  employed,  also,  a  means  for  doing 
good,  which  is  very  common  at  the  present 
day,  and  which  has  been  attended  with  very 
great  success;  that  is,  the  writing  and  circula- 
tion of  tracts.  Some  of  these  were  intended 

*  It  may  be  proper  to  inform  our  young'  readers,  that  confession 
of  sins  to  a  minister,  before  going  to  the  Lord's  supper,  is  a  cus' 
torn  in  the  German  church.  This  cu-stom  has  been  much  abused 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  as  we  find  it  was  also  in  tiio 
Lutheran,  at  the  time  of  Francke. 

d2 


66  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

especially  for  his  congregation,  and  some  for 
general  distribution.  They  breathe  a  spirit 
of  piety  and  affection  towards  his  people  and 
all  who  had  the  opportunity  of  reading  them, 
which  must  have  given  them  much  influence, 
independent  of  the  interesting  and  solemn 
truths  which  they  contained.  They  were 
upon  such  subjects  as  the  following,  "  Direc- 
tions how  to  read  the  Bible  profitably," — 
"True  and  false  conversions," — "Nicodemus, 
or  the  fear  of  man" — "  The  way  to  Jesus," 
&c.  Many  of  these  have  been  translated  into 
other  languages,  especially  the  more  exten- 
sive of  them,  and  all  are  well  calculated  to 
promote  the  cause  of  piety  and  truth. 

From  one  of  them,  entitled  "Scriptural 
rules  for  living,"  we  cannot  refrain  from 
making  some  extracts.  "It  contains,"  says  its 
author,  "directions  how  to  live  in  peace  with 
men,  and  to  preserve  a  good  conscience  in 
the  sight  of  God,"  and — 

"  1 .  Rules  for  our  conduct  in  company, 
"Company  offers  many   temptations   to 
sin.     If  you  would  preserve  a  good  con- 
science in  the  sight  of  God,  remember  that 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  67 

He,  the  Majesty  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  is 
present;  and  that  in  such  a  situation,  a 
solemn  awe  becomes  you. 

"Never  speak  of  your  enemies  except  in 
love,  for  their  good,  and  the  honour  of  God. 

"  Do  not  speak  much.  When  it  is  neces- 
sary to  say  any  thing,  do  it  respectfully, 
advisedly,  and  kindly.  Always  speak  witli 
earnestness,  with  clearness,  and  deliberation. 

"  Do  not  make  the  things  of  this  world 
a  subject  of  conversation,  except  when  God 
may  be  honoured,  or  good  done  to  your 
neighbour  thereby. 

"Avoid  all  severe  and  reproachful  lan- 
guage, and  every  thing  that  might  excite  evil 
feeling.  Inquire  of  a  friend  whether  you 
ever  offend  in  this  way;  for  you  may  do  it 
unconsciously. 

"  Profanity  is  a  great  sin.  If  you  use  the 
name  of  God,  do  it  with  reverence,  as  if  in 
his  presence.  Never  make  the  name  of  God 
or  Christ  a  mere  by-word.  He  who  honours 
God  in  his  heart,  will  not  dishonour  Him  with 
his  hps. 

"  Be  cautious,  in  narrating  any  thing,  that 
you  adhere  strictly  to  truth.  Men  sometimes 


68  MEMOIRS  OF  FRA^*CKE. 

supply  some  circumstances  from  their  own 
invention,  which  their  memory  has  not  re- 
tained. Think  afterwards  w  hether  you  have 
not  in  your  conversation  done  this. 

"  Trifling  jests  and  anecdotes,  do  not  be- 
come a  christian.  When  you  are  in  conver- 
sation, avoid  speaking  of  yourself,  or  desiring 
so  to  do. 

"  Never  change  the  conversation  from  a 
profitable  subject.  Much  is  to  be  learnt,  both 
fn  the  discipline  of  the  mind  and  in  the  col- 
lection of  facts,  by  much  conversation  on  the 
same  topic. 

"  Never  interrupt  a  person  who  is  speaking, 
and  be  silent  if  you  yourself  are  interrupted. 

"  If  you  would  reprove  another  for  some 
misconduct,  take  care  first  to  conquer  the  fear 
of  man.  But  it  is  well,  beforehand,  to  think 
of  your  own  defects,  that  you  may  reprove 
with  meekness,  and  with  love. 

"  Avoid  unnecessary  mirth.  All  laughter 
is  not  sinful,  but  it  should  be  the  mark  of  a 
peaceful,  and  joyful,  not  a  trifling  state  of 
mind.  If  others  laugh  at  foolieli  jests,  and 
improper  expressions,  do  not  join  with  them. 
If  they  are  not  pleasing  to  God,  why  should 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  69 

they  be  to  you  1  If  you  laugh  with  those  who 
dehght  in  these  things,  you  are  a  partaker 
of  their  sin  ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  you  preserve 
a  grave  countenance,  you  reprove  them. 

''  Cultivate  a  talent  for  directing  conversa- 
tion, in  a  proper  channel. 

"  Never  think  more  highly  of  yourself,  than 
of  another,  on  account  of  any  advantage  of 
station  which  you  may  possess.  Both  of 
you  are  dust  and  ashes,  and  equal  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

"  Love  is  humble,  and  secures  the  respect 
and  friendship  of  others;  but  a  haughty  man 
is  disagreeable  to  all. 

"  Remain  not  a  moment  in  society,  when 
your  only  object  is,  that  you  may  thus  pass 
time  away. 

"  2.  Rides  for  Solitude. 
"  If  you  are  truly  convinced  of  the  presence 
of  God,  when  you  are  alone,  you  need  have 
no  w  eariness  of  solitude.  Will  you  be  weary 
of  an  eternity,  spent  in  his  presence,  where 
you  hope  to  find  your  perfect  happiness  ? 

"Fear  nothing  visible,  or  invisible,  but 
God,  who  can  save,  and  can  destroy. 


70  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANOKE. 

"  Engage  in  no  unprofitable  work ;  for  you 
shall  give  account  of  every  moment  of  your 
time,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
employed. 

"  Read  no  trifling  nor  useless  books,  for 
the  sake  of  passing  away  time. 

"  Indulge  no  thought  which  you  would  be 
ashamed  to  utter;  for  though  you  may  con- 
ceal it  from  men,  God  beholds  your  inmost 
soul,  and  knows  your  thoughts  afar  off*. 

"  Do  nothing  ia  private,  which  you  would 
avoid  in  the  presence  of  the  wise  and  good. 
You  have  respect  for  them ;  ought  you  not 
to  respect  much  more  the  Great  Jehovah  ? 
&c.  &c." 

These  were  the  means  which  this  truly 
excellent  man  applied  with  so  much  fidelity. 
In  every  department  of  labour,  whether  in 
the  pulpit,  in  the  social  meeting,  or  in  the 
distribution  of  tracts,  he  seems  ever  to  have 
acted  in  view  of  that  day,  when  he  should 
render  his  account  of  his  stewardship.  And 
his  efiforts  were  not  in  vain.  He  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  many  brought  from  dark- 
ness to  light.     A  great  sensation  was  crea- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  71 

ted  throuojhout  the  citv.  Laroje  numbers  of 
people  came  to  hear  him  preach,  and  both 
hiffh  and  low  took  seats  in  his  church.  The 
state  of  society  improved  in  Glaucha,  and  the 
Lord  evidently  blessed  his  endeavours  to  do 
20od. 


72  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

University  of  Halle  organized — Appointment  of  Pro- 
fessors — Francke's  difficulties  with  the  Ministers  of 
^  Halle. 

Although  a  number  of  professors  had  been 
appointed  in  the  new  University,  which  had 
been  commenced  at  Halle,  they  had  not  as 
yet  begun  the  regular  discharge  of  their  duties. 
Francke  delivered  an  introductory  discourse, 
in  1692,  and  lectures  on  some  branches  were 
begun,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two, 
the  institution  was  formally  consecrated. 
Among  the  newly  appointed  professors  was 
Breitliaupt,  who  had  been  a  fellow  labourer 
with  Francke,  at  Erfurt,  and  who  had  shown 
himself  his  sincere  friend,  in  his  labours  and 
trials  there.  It  was  looked  upon  as  very 
desirable  to  secure  the  talents  and  influ- 
ence of  the  celebrated  counsellor  Stryk,  in 
behalf  of  the  new  institution.  He  was  ac- 
cordingly appointed.  He  had,  however,  heard 
many  evil  reports  with  regard  to  Francke, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  7J 

and  had  declined  accepting  the  appointment, 
except  upon  condition  that  Franckc  should 
be  removed.  The  minister,  who  was  de- 
sirous of  his  appointment,  and  who  had  also 
used  his  influence  in  favour  of  Francke,  of- 
fered Francke  several  other  situations,  and 
threatened  force,  provided  he  did  not  comply 
with  this  offer.  He  replied  that  he  was  satis- 
fied that  God  had  ordered  his  coming  to 
Halle,  and  had  blessed  his  labours  while  there, 
and  that  he  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  place, 
unless  some  crime  could  be  proved  against 
him.  This  firm  and  manly  conduct  was 
unexpected  by  the  government,  and  the}'  were 
unwilling  to  depose  him,  without  some  better 
reason  than  mere  convenience.  They  ac- 
cordingly made  another  effort  to  overcome 
the  objections  of  Stryk,  and  finally  succeeded. 
When  he  came  to  Halle,  and  became  ac- 
quainted with  Francke,  his  prejudices  soon 
disappeared,  and  he  was,  until  his  death, 
one  of  the  most  active  and  firm  friends  both 
of  him,  and  his  efforts  to  do  good.  The 
other  professors  of  the  University  were  al- 
most all  appointed,  as  has  been  mentioned, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Spener,  and  were,  in 

G 


/4  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

general,  pious  men;  so  that  among  tliem 
Francke  found  able  supporters,  and  constant 
friends.  These  he  needed;  for  scarcely  had 
he  been  a  year  in  the  place,  when  he  was  in- 
volved in  difficulties  with  the  ministers  loca- 
ted there.  These  ministers,  though  learned 
men,  were,  for  the  most  part,  destitute  of  true 
piety,  and  could  not,  of  course,  approve  the 
sentiments  and  conduct  of  Francke,  which 
formed  so  great  a  contrast  with  theirs. 

Before  his  arrival  in  Halle,  some  of  the 
people  there  had  manifested  a  disposition  to 
embrace  the  sentiments,  and  imitate  the 
practice  of  the  followers  of  Spener;  or  in  other 
words,  the  Pietists.  The  clergy  opposed 
them  with  much  bitterness:  and  in  conse- 
quence of  this,  they  complained  to  the  court 
of  Magdeburg.  The  government  ordered, 
that  they  should  be  permitted  to  entertain 
their  own  views  of  duty  unmolested,  and  for- 
bade all  preaching  against  them,  through- 
out the  principality.  This  command  the 
ministers  for  a  time  obeyed.  When,  however, 
Francke  arrived  among  them,  having  the 
reputation  of  being  a  leader  of  that  sect,  they 
could  not  hold  their  peace,  but  began  again 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  75 

their  charges  against  the  Pietists.  Complaint 
was  again  made,  and  the  government  now 
ordered  the  ministers  of  Halle,  to  make  good 
their  charges,  by  proper  evidence,  within  eight 
days.  For  this,  however,  they  were  not  pre- 
pared. They  insisted  that  the  burden  of 
proving  the  justice  of  their  side  should  not 
rest  upon  them,  but  that  the  Pietists  should 
be  called  on  to  defend  themselves.  They 
gave,  in  justification  of  their  measures,  an  ac- 
count of  the  improper  views  and  conduct  of 
one  of  the  students,  who  was  supposed  to  be- 
long to  Francke's  party.  The  answer  of  the 
government  to  them  was,  that  they  should 
cease  their  attacks  upon  the  Pietists,  and  op- 
pose such  doctrines  alone  as  were  contrary 
to  the  w  ord  of  God. 

When  Francke  and  Breithaupt  began,  as 
they  did  immediately  upon  their  arrival,  to 
declare  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible  in  simplicity 
and  power,  the  people  were  affected  in  the 
same  way  as  they  had  been  under  their 
preaching  at  Erfurt.  They  crowded  to  the 
churches  where  they  officiated,  and  many, 
as  was  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  were  hope- 
fully converted.     Some  of  them  who  had  just 


76  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

opened  their  eyes  to  a  view  of  their  situation, 
in  looking  back  over  their  past  hves,  could 
not  but  feel  that  much  of  their  bhndness 
had  been  ovvin^  to  the  want  of  faithful  and 
scriptural  preaching.  They,  perhaps  impro- 
perly, expressed  these  feelings,  so  that  they 
came  to  the  ears  of  their  former  pastors,  who 
were  very  much  embittered  thereby.  It  is 
not  to  be  concealed,  that  in  addition  to  this, 
some  of  those  who  professed  to  be  followers 
of  Francke  and  Breithaupt,  were  guilty  of 
some  improprieties,  as  is  frequently  the  case 
among  ignorant  people,  when  any  strong 
religious  feeling  excites  them.  Some  pretended 
to  visions  and  inspiration,  took  no  part  in 
public  worship,  denounced  the  whole  Lutheran 
church  as  the  spiritual  Babylon,  and  perplexed 
their  minds  with  the  more  obscure  doctrines 
of  the  word  of  God.  A  candid  mind  would 
easily  have  seen  that  all  this  was  not  the 
necessary  or  legitimate  fruit  of  the  preaching 
which  they  heard,  especially  when  Francke  and 
Breithaupt  opposed  these  errors  with  all  their 
might.  The  other  party,  however,  (the  ortho- 
dox as  they  called  themselves,)  saw  this  result 
witli  satisfaction,  received  all  the  exaggerated 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  i  i 

reports  which  were  in  circulation,  and  used 
them  with  much  art  and  assiduity  against 
the  Pietists.  They  said  that  these  were 
the  effects  of  such  preaching  as  Francke's, 
and  those  which  must  ever  result  from  his 
doctrines.  They  attacked  openly  and  secret- 
ly, with  the  pen  and  in  the  pulpit,  the  profes- 
sors of  the  University,  especially  Francke 
and  Breithaupt,  and  warned  the  people 
against  their  doctrines,  as  against  a  secret 
poison.  They  directed  their  malice  especi- 
ally against  the  evening  meetings  for  prayer 
and  exhortation,  and  circulated,  concerning 
them,  the  most  base  and  injurious  reports.  In 
short,  they  bestowed  on  Francke  and  his 
friends,  all  the  opprobrious  epithets  which 
they  could  invent,  such  as  Heretic,  Fanatic, 
Enthusiast,  Dreamer,  Madman,  and  Hypo- 
crite. But  all  this  did  not  alarm  Francke,  nor 
deter  him  from  his  purpose.  He  knew  that, 
under  certain  circumstances,  opposition  is  a 
proof  of  fidelity ;  and  though  some  things  had 
happened  which  he  regretted,  yet  he  knew 
that  the  great  majority  of  those  w^ho  followed 
him,  were  in  the  right  way;  and  he  determined 
to  go  boldly  forward,  preaching  the  simple 
G  2 


78  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and  coinniitting  the 
issue  of  it  all  to  God. 

The  government  now  sent  several  orders 
to  Halle,  commanding  silence  on  the  part  of 
the  enemios  of  Francke;  and  when  these  did 
not  produce  the  desired  effect,  appointed  a 
commission,  consisting  of  four  distinguished 
men,  to  examine  into,  and  remove  the  cause 
of  these  difficulties.  Thev  betran  their  in- 
vestigation  in  November  1G92,  when  the 
clergy  of  Halle  presented  twenty'Six  grounds 
of  complaint  against  Francke,  Breithaupt,  and 
the  pietistical  students.  These  charges  were 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  accused  party,  who 
replied  to  them  at  length.  The  accusers 
renewed  their  charges,  and  thus  many  days 
passed  without  coming  to  any  result,  till  a 
compromise  was  proposed  and  agreed  to  on 
both  sides. 

In  this  compromise,  it  was  stated  by  the 
commissioners,  that  Professors  Francke  and 
Breithaupt  were  exonerated  from  the  charge 
of  false  doctrine,  and  from  that  of  promoting 
intentionally  the  disorders  which  had  existed ; 
and  both  sides  were  exhorted  to  forget  the 
past,  and  to  cultivate  peace,  and  to  practi^^e 


MEMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE.  79 

forbearance  in  future.  In  reference  to  the 
evening  prayer  meetings,  against  which  so 
much  that  was  false  and  scandalous  had  been 
said,  the  commission  recommended  that  they 
should  be  stopped.  Francke  was  unwilling 
to  consent  to  this,  because  these  were  the  first 
means  which  produced  any  marked  effect  upon 
the  people  at  Glaucha,  fearing  lest  the  bless- 
ing of  God  should  be  entirely  withheld,  if  he 
discontinued  them.  He  expressed  his  deter- 
mination however,  to  submit  to  the  decision  of 
the  members  of  the  commission.  They  were 
too  conscientious  to  forbid  the  meetings  with- 
out some  more  urgent  reasons  than  had  yet 
appeared,  and  therefore  suffered  them  to  be 
continued ;  but  publicly,  in  the  church. 

Peace,  externally  at  least,  was  now^  restored, 
but  the  minds  of  the  orthodox  party  w^ere  not 
satisfied.  They  withheld,  indeed,  all  public 
expression  of  their  feelings,  but  did  not  cease 
in  secret  to  use  all  their  influence  against  the 
Pietists.  They  still  preached  doctrines  entirely 
at  variance  with  those  of  Francke,  and  he 
continued  to  hold  forth,  in  all  its  purity,  "  the 
word  of  life,"  so  that  the  seeds  of  discord 


80  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

were  yet  in  existence,  though  for  the  time 
hidden  from  view. 

About  this  time  an  assistant  pastor  was 
appointed  to  reheve  him  of  a  part  of  the 
duties  of  his  church  at  Glaucha.  He  con- 
tinued to  do  his  share  of  these  labours,  and 
with  the  same  spirit  of  fidehty,  until  he  was 
appointed  to  one  of  the  churches  in  the  city, 
in  the  year  1714.  We  leave  here  the  ac- 
count of  his  pastoral  life,  to  introduce  him  to 
the  reader  in  the  important  situation  of  a 
Professor. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  81 


CHAPTER  V. 


Labours  us  a  Professsor — Neio  difficulties  at  Halle — 
Opposition  from  abroad. 

The  professorship  to  which  Francke  was 
first  appointed,  was  that  of  Greek  and  Orien- 
tal Languages.  He  continued  to  perform  its 
duties  until  1699,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
the  department  of  Theology,  in  which  he 
continued  until  his  death.  For  this  station 
he  was  eminently  qualified,  both  by  long  con- 
tinued study,  and  considerable  experience  in 
teaching.  It  will  be  remembered,  that  he 
spent  a  long  time  in  his  preparatory  course, 
and  that  for  several  years,  he  had  been  en- 
gaged in  lecturing  as  a  private  teacher.  He 
was  familiar  with  the  languages,  and  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible;  the  languages  of 
Europe ;  and  to  some  extent  with  those  of 
Asia.  He  was  well  versed  in  Histor}%  and 
Philosophy,  and  had  attended  lectures  upon 
Rhetoric,  and  most  of  the  other  branches 
taught  in  the  University,  which  could  be  of 
assistance  to  him  in  his  profession.     But  it 


&2  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

was  his  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  above  all, 
which  distinguished  him,  and  which  consti- 
tuted his  best  qualification,  especially  as  at 
that  time  the  word  of  God  was  considered 
as  quite  a  subordinate  object  of  attention, 
by  the  ministry.  With  all  this,  he  united  a 
spirit  of  piety,  which  was  never  suffered  to 
decline,  iii  the  midst  of  his  numerous  duties 
and  engagements.  Few  men  have  ever  done 
more  for  the  church,  by  constant  and  vigor- 
ous exertion,  both  in  public  and  in  private, 
and  yet  few  have  preserved  so  high  a  degree 
of  faith  and  love  in  their  own  hearts. 

The  object  to  which  Francke  devoted  him- 
self, in  his  professional  labours,  was  to  give 
a  more  practical  character  to  the  theology 
of  the  age,  and  to  the  Bible  its  proper  stand- 
ing, as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  doctrine. 
To  secure  these  most  desirable  results,  he 
made  the  Scriptures,  in  some  form  or  other, 
the  subjects  of  most  of  his  lectures;  not 
merely  giving  a  cold,  and  formal  explanation 
of  its  truths,  but  applying  them  to  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  his  pupils,  and  teaching 
them  how  they  should  apply  the  same  truths 
to   others.     We   have  already  stated,  that 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  83 

many  of  the  students  of  theology,  at  that 
time,  were  wholly  destitute  of  piety.  In  view 
of  this  fact,  he  made  it  a  constant  endeavour, 
to  teach  them  what  true  religion  was,  and  to 
brinor  them  to  a  knowledc^e  of  that  Saviour, 
Yvhom  it  would  be  their  duty  to  preach  to 
others.  Although  he  did  not  disparage  the 
use  of  human  knowledge,  he  always  declared 
to  them,  that  without  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  they  would  never  obtain  that 
preparation  for  their  office,  which  they  needed. 
He  used  to  say  that  '*  an  ounce  of  true  faith, 
was  of  more  value  than  pounds  of  knowledge;  y 
and  that  a  drop  of  sincere  love  to  God  and 
man,  was  to  be  esteemed  above  an  ocean  of 
learnino-."  The  courses  of  lectures  which 
he  delivered,  were,  one  upon  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  especially  those  books  which  treat- 
ed of  the  Messiah :  another  upon  the  writings 
of  the  Evangelist  John  :  another  course  upon 
the  composition  of  sermons,  and  upon  pas- 
toral duties.  This  last  mentioned  course 
was  replete  with  excellent  instruction  to  those 
who  expected  to  discharge  the  office  of  minis- 
ters of  Christ,  and  illustrated  by  facts  drawn 
from  his  own  observation  and  experience. 


84  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

The  lectures  which  he  directed  more  espe- 
cially to  the  spiritual  improvement  of  his 
pupils,  were  those  which  he  called  pareiietic^ 
which  were  delivered  to  all  the  students,  at  a 
time  w  hen  they  were  not  in  attendance  upon 
the  other  professors.  In  these  he  did  not 
confine  himself  to  any  fixed  plan,  but  varied 
his  subjects,  as  he  deemed  expedient.  They 
were  all,  however,  eminently  practical.  He 
addressed  his  young  hearers,  as  a  father 
would  his  children,  giving  them  directions 
as  to  their  habits,  studies,  conversation,  de- 
votions— setting  before  them  their  difficulties, 
and  the  ^^  ay  to  overcome  them ;  reproving 
plainly,  yet  kindly,  those  who  acted  impro- 
perly ;  and  exhorting  them  to  diligence  in  the 
pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  especially  to  sin- 
cere piety.  We  must  deny  ourselves  the 
pleasure  of  making  extracts,  from  these  lec- 
tures, as  this  would  lead  us  beyond  the  bounds 
of  a  work  of  this  kind.  They  breathe  the 
same  spirit  of  piety  so  manifest  in  his  ser- 
mons, and  the  same  christian  prudence,  which 
the  precepts  of  his  tract,^  upon  the  way  of 
living  well,  so  strikingly  display. 

*  See  page  66. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAXCKE.  8o 

The  Biblical  Societies,  as  they  were  called, 
from  which  so  much  good  had  arisen  in  other 
places  under  his  influence,  were  not  forgotten 
at  Halle.  The  students  formed  themselves 
into  little  fraternities  at  his  instigation,  in 
which  they  read  the  Bible,  in  the  same  way 
which  had  been  practised  at  Leipzig,  and 
with  the  same  result.  An  association  of  a 
somewhat  different  kind,  which  Francke  and 
one  of  his  colleagues  established,  was  com- 
}30sed  of  about  twelve  of  the  most  advanced 
students,  who  paid  particular  attention  to 
oriental  languages,  as  well  as  to  those  of  the 
Bible,  and  were  intended  for  the  important 
offices  of  professors  and  teachers,  as  well  as 
for  the  higher  stations  in  the  church.  To 
some  of  the  members  of  this  association,  the 
ministers  of  the  present  day  are  indebted  for 
some  of  the  best  works  on  Biblical  literature. 

He  not  only  interested  himself  thus  in  the 
moral  and  intellectual  improvement  of  his 
pupils,  but  employed  a  part  of  every  day  in 
giving  advice  to  them  in  reference  to  their 
plans  of  life,  and  in  providing  for  the  tempo- 
ral necessities  of  such  of  them  as  were  poor. 
The  means  adopted  for  the  sup}K)rt  of  sucli, 


86  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

we  shall  mention  more  particularly  hereafter. 
He  was  as  a  father  to  them  all,  in  whom  they 
could  confide,  and  to  whom  they  could  apply 
in  all  their  difficulties. 

The  effect  of  his  labours  in  this  sphere, 
was  happy  in  the  highest  degree.  Very  many 
of  the  theological  students  who  had  com- 
menced their  preparation  for  the  ministry 
without  piety,  and  without  any  proper  view  of 
that  responsible  office,  were  awakened  and 
converted.  With  regard  to  this,  Francke  says 
in  one  of  his  lectures,  "  many  of  our  students 
gave  us  reason  to  believe  that  they  had  felt 
the  influence  of  our  instructions.  Not  a  few- 
have  been  renew^ed  in  the  spirit  of  their  minds, 
and  disregarding  now  all  the  allurements  of 
the  world,  have  devoted  themselves,  without 
reserve,  to  the  service  of  their  master.  They 
welcome  even  reproach  and  toil  in  his  cause. 
They  are  united  in  feeling  to  one  another, 
and  meet  frequently  together  for  social  prayer, 
and  the  reading  of  the  Bible.  They  are  ex- 
emplary in  their  conduct,  and  have  thus  been 
the  means  of  doing  much  good  to  their  irre- 
ligious associates.  They  promise  to  go 
abroad  into  the  world  with  the  same  spirit 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  87 

of  imioii  and  devotedness,  and  to  exert  a 
powerful  influence  wherever  they  go."  In 
this  expectation  he  was  not  disappointed. 
Many  of  these  students  were  the  means  of 
producing  revivals  of  religion  in  the  churches 
where  they  laboured,  and  of  awakening  many 
merely  formal  preachers  from  their  slumbers, 
to  active  and  devoted  piety. 

We  have  already  stated  that  Francke  made 
use  of  his  pen,  as  an  auxiliary  to  his  pastoral 
labours.  This  was  also  the  case  in  those  of 
his  professorship.  We  cannot  here  how- 
ever even  mention  the  names  of  the  various 
works  which  he  published.  They  amount  in 
nmiiber  to  fifteen  or  twenty,  more  or  less 
extensive,  all  of  them  either  commentaries 
upon,  or  introductions  to  the  Bible,  or  books 
upon  the  subject  of  practical  Theology  in 
general.* 

One  of  these  caused  him  no  little  trouble. 
This  was  a  monthly  perodical  work  entitled 
"Biblical  Observations,"  the  object  of  which 
was  to  correct  some  mis-translations  in  the 
German  version  of  the  Bible  made  by  Luther, 

*  The  whole  number  of  his  works  published  before  and  since 
his  death,  amount  to  upwards  of  thirty. 


88  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

and  to  give  the  practical  application  of  the 
passages  as  corrected.  The  circumstances 
attending  the  publication  of  this  work  are  not 
a  little  interesting,  as  they  display  so  much 
of  that  self-denying  spirit,  which  always  at- 
tends a  high  degree  of  piety.  He  was  medi- 
tating, he  tells  us,  on  a  certain  occasion,  upon 
that  passage  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  second 
epistle  to  the  Corinthians  in  which  it  is  said 
that,  "  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  aboimd 
towards  you,  that  ye,  having  all  sufficiency  in 
all  things,  may  be  able  to  abound  unto  every 
good  work."  "  How  can  God  do  this,"  was  his 
inquiry,  and  one  of  much  interest  to  him,  as 
he  was  frequently  compelled  to  suffer  the  poor 
whom  he  would  gladly  have  assisted,  to  go 
away  from  him  unrelieved.  Just  at  tliis  time, 
he  received  a  letter  from  a  friend,  informing 
him,  that  he  had  been  reduced  by  misfortunes 
to  poverty  and  distress,  and  requesting  of 
him  some  assistance.  This  moved  the  heart 
of  Francke  still  more;  and  after  praying  over 
the  subject,  the  plan  of  the  "  Biblical  Observa- 
tions," struck  him  as  the  most  hkely  to  en- 
able him  to  do  any  thing  for  his  relief.  His 
employments  were,   however,   at  this   time 


MExMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  89 

SO  pressing,  that  every  part  of  the  day  wavS 
devoted  to  some  particular  object,  none  of 
which  could  be  set  aside;  and  it  seemed  hkely 
still,  that  his  plan  would  fail.  But  he,  ever 
fertile  in  expedients,  determined  to  take  the 
time  which  he  usually  spent  at  his  evening 
meal  for  this  purpose;  and  was  thus  enabled 
to  finish  the  numbers  with  punctuality. 

The  sentiments  of  the  work  appear  to  have 
been  correct  and  scriptural,  and  his  criticisms 
were  no  doubt  well  founded.  Still  the  work 
was  unacceptable  both  to  some  of  his  friends, 
and  to  his  foes ;  first,  because  he  seemed  to 
manifest  a  want  of  respect  for  Luther,  in  find- 
ing fault  with  some  of  his  translations ;  and 
second,  because  he  issued  the  work  in  month- 
ly numbers,  which  was  uncommon  at  that 
time,  except  with  works  of  a  very  frivolous 
character.  He  sent  some  of  these  numbers 
for  distribution  and  for  sale  to  a  friend  of  his 
at  Berlin,  a  man  of  sincere  piety,  but  of  ardent 
temperament.  They  seem  to  have  struck 
him  unfavourably;  for  he  replied  to  Francke 
in  a  letter  containing  the  severest  reproof. 
The  answer  of  Francke  is  characteristic. 

"  It  gives  me  much  pleasure,  dear  brother, 
H  2 


90  MExMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

that  you  have  reproved  me ;  for  you  have 
done  so  with  a  sincere  love  tome  and  to  the 
church  of  God.  I  am  therefore  not  displeased 
with  your  severity ;  on  the  contrary,  it  has 
given  me  a  higher  esteem  for  you,  than  I  have 
ever  before  felt ;  and  this  letter  is  more  pre- 
cious to  me  than  any  other  I  have  received 
from  you.  I  beseech  you  ever  to  deal  thus 
with  me,  and  without  the  least  reserve  to  tell 
me  of  my  faults  and  my  indiscretions.  Be  as- 
sured that  such  reproof  will  ever  be  agreeable 
to  me.  All  that  I  complain  of  between  us 
is,  that  we  so  unfrequently  tell  each  other  of 
our  failings,  and  that  when  we  do,  our  feel- 
ings are  so  often  excited  thereby.  Some  time 
ago,  you  wrote  to  me,  exhorting  me  to  awake 
and  be  diligent  in  the  service  of  the  Lord;  and 
for  that  advice  I  sincerely  thanked  you.  You 
have  now  reproved  me,  and  I  thank  you  still 
more.  Be  assured  that  I  am  tenderly  at- 
tached to  you,  and  that  I  pray  the  Lord  to 
bless  you  for  your  kindness  to  me."  He 
now  relates  to  him  the  causes  of  his  under- 
taking the  work,  and  states  his  reasons  for 
publishing  it  in  the  way  he  did ;  reasons  which 
it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  here,  inasmuch  as 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  91 

to  our  readers,  he  will  not  be  thought  to  liave 
committed  any  fault. 

"  In  this  whole  affair,"  he  continues,  "  I 
have  not  sowed  to  myself,  and  do  not  expect 
to  reap  to  myself.  My  object  was  the  honour 
of  God,  and  the  spiritual  as  well  as  temporal 
good  of  men ;  and  this  being  the  case,  I  feel 
no  regret  for  w  hat  I  have  done,  nor  any  desire 
to  discontinue  this  effort.  I  am  not  accus- 
tomed to  lay  up  a  single  farthing  for  myself: 
if  I  have  food  and  raiment,  I  am  content;  and 
these  my  Heavenly  Father  constantly  supplies 
me." — He  concludes  in  the  following  lan- 
guage. "Your  letter  has  been  of  much 
service  to  me,  in  leading  me  to  self-examina- 
tion— to  prayer — to  the  exercise  of  caution 
and  sincerity  in  my  conduct.  I  again  thank 
you  for  your  plainness  and  frankness  with  me. 
May  the  Lord  reward  you  I  In  time  to  come, 
watch  over  me,  and  do  not  spare  me  when 
you  find  any  thing  blame-worthy.  I  should 
not  have  defended  myself,  nor  mentioned 
what  led  to  this  publication,  had  I  not  sup- 
posed it  wrong  to  leave  you  prejudiced 
against,  and  ignorant  of  the  reasons  which 
influenced  me.     I  cannot  but  hope  that  your 


92  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

opinion  will  now  change.  Will  it  not  my 
brother?  Can  we  not  be  again  joined  in 
heart?  You  have  asked  my  pardon,  in  case 
you  had  misunderstood  me.  I  desire  no 
apology  from  you — -I  must,  on  the  contrary, 
ask  to  be  forgiven  for  causing  you  pain  and 
ill  will.  ^  ^  *  The  friend  for  whom  I  have 
been  labouring,  has  been  compelled  even  to 
sell  his  Bible.  Will  you  not  do  something  for 
his  relief?  May  the  Lord  Jesus  be  your  sup- 
port and  strength!" 

This  truly  humble  and  christian  reply, 
completely  changed  the  views  and  feelings 
of  his  friend,  who  acknowledged  his  error,  in 
writing  so  hastily,  and  sent  a  donation  for 
the  benefit  of  the  afflicted  individual.* 

This  work  was  attacked  too,  by  several  of 
the  party  who  were  enemies  to  Francke,  and 
the  Pietists.  Some  copies  of  it  had,  by  some 
means,  been  carried  to  Sweden,  and  Dr. 
Mayer,  a  learned  theologian  of  that  country, 
attacked  it  and  its  author  with  great  vehe- 
mence. This  example  was  followed  by  some 
others;  and  Francke  replied  at  length,  and 

*  The  income  of  the  work  was  such,  in  addition  to  this,  as  to 
enable  him  to  fulfil  completely  his  benevolent  intentions. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  93 

most  triumphantly,  to  all  their  objections,  in 
a  spirit  of  meekness  and  piety,  which  should 
and  would  have  closed  their  mouths,  had 
they  been  possessed  of  either  candour  or 
generosity. 

About  the  year  1608,  he  was  again  in- 
volved in  difficulties,  with  the  ministers  of 
Halle.  They  had,  since  the  former  dissen- 
sions, restrained,  to  some  extent,  their  dispo- 
sition to  censure  and  abuse  the  Pietists,  but 
had  not  failed,  when  an  opportunity  offered 
of  doinof  it  secretlv,  to  throw  out  insinuations 
with  regard  to  them.  Early  in  this  year 
Francke  preached  a  sermon  upon  Matt.  vii. 
15 — 23. — "  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which 
come  to  you  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly 
thev  are  ravenins:  wolves.  Ye  shall  know 
them  by  their  fruits.  Do  men  gather  grapes 
of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles  ?  Even  so  every 
good  tree  bringeth  forth  good  fruit ;  but  a 
corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit.  A  good 
tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can 
a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every 
tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn 
down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.  Wherefore  by 
their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.     Not  every 


94  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord, 
have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and  in 
thy  name  have  cast  out  devils  ?  and  in  thy 
name  done  many  wonderful  works?  And 
then  I  will  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
you:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  ini- 
quity"— in  which,  without  any  personal  re- 
ferences, he  pointed  out  clearly,  and  emphati- 
cally, the  distinction  between  true  and  false 
prophets.  The  ministers  of  the  city,  could 
not  suppose  him  to  have  had  any  other  object 
in  view ,  than  that  of  attacking  them,  and  ac- 
cordingly took  all  that  he  had  said,  to  them- 
selves. They  replied  immediately  to  his  ser- 
mon, and  in  a  tone  of  great  bitterness,  and 
accused  him  before  the  "  consistory  of  inju- 
ries,"— a  court  which  took  cognizance  of  such 
cases.  He  was  called  upon  to  answer  to  their 
charges,  and  to  prove  what  he  had  alleged 
against  them.  He  stated  in  reply,  that  his 
expressions  were  very  general,  and  that  of 
course  he  was  not  to  blame,  if  any  one  dis- 
covered his  own  character  portrayed  therein . 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAiNXKE.  95 

He  called  God  to  witness,  that  his  present 
reply  was  not  made  with  any  desire  to  retali- 
ate for  the  many  abusive  reports  circulated 
against  him,  nor  to  injure  the  feelings  of  any 
one;  but  for  the  honour  of  God,  and  the  good 
of  man ;  and,  moreover,  that  he  would  state 
nothing  which  he  could  not  prove.  He  then 
stated  his  objections  to  the  style  of  preach- 
ing common  in  the  city ;  that  the  doctrines 
of  the  Scripture  were,  many  of  them,  ob- 
scured, or  neglected;  as  for  instance,  faith, 
regeneration,  holiness,  self-examination  ;  that 
the  word  of  God  was  sometimes  used  to 
prove  doctrines,  the  most  agreeable  to  the 
carnal  heart ;  thus  the  text,  "  rejoice  with 
them  that  do  rejoice,"  was  made  to  authorize 
dancing,  feasting,  and  drinking  to  excess; 
and  that  the  spiritual  application  of  the  in- 
spired word,  was  entirely  neglected.  He 
went  on  to  state,  that  he  was  not  fond  of 
contention,  and  that  he  had  always  "  followed 
the  things  that  make  for  peace,"  but  that  the 
city  clergy  had  never  ceased,  in  every  way 
they  dared,  to  injure  him,  from  the  time  he 
had  first  came  among  them ;  that  they  could 
not  accuse  him  of  returning  evil  for  evil ; 


96  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

that  he  had  constantly  indulged  the  hope, 
that  forbearance  on  his  part  would  open  their 
eyes  to  the  rectitude  of  his  intentions,  and 
that  the  good  which  followed  his  labours, 
would  convince  them  that  God  had  given 
his  approbation  to  him.  But  he  had  been 
disappointed.  They  had  refused  all  friendly 
intercourse  with  him,  and  continued  their 
opposition.  They  had  warned  the  people 
against  coming  to  his  church,  declaring  it  to 
be  the  way  to  hell.  He  concluded  by  de- 
claring his  willingness  to  forgive  and  forget 
what  was  past,  and  his  desire  for  peace. 

So  fully  confident  was  Francke  of  the  jus- 
tice of  his  cause,  that  he  published  the  ser- 
mon, and  thus  brought  the  matter  more  fully 
before  the  public.  This  only  increased  the 
opposition.  Reviews  and  replies  were  writ- 
ten on  every  side,  accusing  him  and  his  col- 
leagues, Breithaupt  and  Anton,  of  various 
errors.  Finally,  a  commission  was  appointed 
by  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  consisting  of 
four  distinguished  men,  from  various  parts 
of  Germany,  to  settle  again  their  difficuhies. 
They  continued  their  examination  nearly  a 
month,  and  then  recommended  an  agreement, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  9'7 

which  was  signed  by  the  professors  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  ministers  on  the  other. 

By  this  document,  the  professors  of  theo- 
logy were  exonerated  from  all  the  charges 
brought  against  them;    all  the  unpleasant 
circumstances  which  had  occurred,  were  to 
be  forgiven  and  forgotten;  the  mmisters  and 
professors  were  to  meet  together  monthly,  or 
weekly,  for  social  prayer,  and  mutual  exhor- 
tation ;  and  every  thing  that  tended  to  mjure 
the  feelings  of  either  party,  was  to  be  care- 
fully avoided.     Many  other   subjects  were 
mentioned,  but  these  were  the  more  promi- 
nent topics.  This  compromise  was  confirmed 
by  the  Elector,  and  though  nothmg  is  stated 
in  reference  to  the  propriety  of  the  conduct 
of  either  side,  it  is  easy  to  see,  that  that  of 
the  professors  was  far  the  most  favourably 
retrarded.    This  was  still  more  manifest  m 
the  letter  of  the  Elector  to  the  government. 
A  thanksgiving  was  ordered  in  all  the  pulpits 
of  Halle,  at  the  termination  of  the  business ; 
and  a  sermon,  exhorting  to  a  continuance  ot 
peace,  was  preached  by  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners. 
Although  this  affair  was  now  so  peaceluUy 


98  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

disposed  of,  the  minds  of  the  ('orthodox)  party, 
were  not  at  rest.  They,  however,  saw  the 
pohey  of  coinciding  with  the  views  of  gov- 
ernment, and  acted  with  apparent  cordiahty 
towards  the  Pietists.  In  the  course  of  time, 
the  association  of  ministers  of  the  city,  as  a 
testimony  of  their  desire  to  continue  on  good 
terms  with  Francke,  invited  him  to  take 
charge  of  a  vacant  church  in  the  city.  This 
offer  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  accept.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact,  that  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  of  the  two  of  his  opposers  who  still 
remained  in  Halle,  one  preached  his  funeral 
sermon,  in  which  he  spoke  of  Francke,  as 
''a  theologian  who  had  deserved  well  of  the 
w^hole  Lutheran  church." 

But  freedom  from  persecution  was  not  the 
lot  of  Francke.  Scarcely  had  one  enemy 
been  silenced,  %\  hen  another  arose  still  more 
violent  in  his  opposition.  Not  long  after 
peace  had  been  restored  in  Halle,  he  was  at- 
tacked again  by  Dr.  Mayer,  in  a  work  enti- 
tled, "  Notices  of  the  Pietists,  by  a  Swedish 
Theologian."  The  first  question  discussed  in 
this  work  is,  "  Who  are  the  Pietists  ?"  The 
reply  of  the  author  is,  "  They  are  fanatics, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  99 

who,  under  the  appearance  of  sanctity,  are 
endeavouring  to  injure  the  pure  Lutheran  re- 
hgion ;  to  overthrow  its  doctrines,  and  all  its 
excellent  and  scriptural  regulations ;  to  open 
the  door  to  heretics  of  every  kind ;  by  their 
pretended  holiness,  to  mislead  unstable  souls 
who  are  blind  to  their  errors,  and  who,  fol- 
lowing closely  the  steps  of  their  leaders, 
hasten  with  them  to  eternal  damnation." — 
The  last  is  one  of  a  similar  character,  and 
answered  in  the  same  way.  "  Where  are  the 
Pietists  described  in  the  word  of  God  ?" 
Answer:  "  In  2d  Timothy,  iii.  1—9.  '  This 
know  also,  that  in  the  last  days,  perilous 
times  shall  come ;  for  men  shall  be  lovers 
of  their  own  selves,  covetous,  boasters,  proud, 
blasphemers,  &c.  &c.--'  This  disgraceful 
attack  was  answered,  and  its  arguments 
completely  refuted,  by  the  theological  faculty 
at  Halle,  against  whom  it  was  aimed  in  gen- 
eral, and  Francke  in  particular.  They  pro- 
tested against  theterm  (Pietist,)  and  hoped  to 
bring  it  into  disuse ;  inasmuch,  as  although 
the  name  would  bear  a  favourable  interpre- 
tation, it  was  not  generally  given.  In  this 
they  did  not  succeed,  but  the  name  soon  came 


100  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

to  be  considered,  rather  as  an  honour,  than 
otherwise;  as  all  the  friends  of  true  piety 
were  compelled  to  bear  it. 

Many  other  attacks  were  made  upon 
Francke,  but  they  had  little  effect  either  upon 
him  or  his  labours.  His  peace  of  mind  and 
confidence  in  the  rectitude  of  his  cause,  never 
forsook  him.  The  reproaches  of  his  enemies 
served  only  to  make  him  more  guarded  in  all 
his  deportment,  and  so  far  from  fixing  any 
stigma  upon  his  character,  they  rather  served 
to  create  friends  for  him,  by  leading  men  to 
examine  the  crrounds  of  accusation  against 
him.  "All  the  machinations  of  his  ene- 
mies," says  his  biographer,  "  were  completely 
powerless  against  that  faith  which  he  exer- 
cised, and  never  destroyed  that  peace  of  his, 
which  'the  w^orld  can  neither  give  nor  take 
away.' " 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  101 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  Orphan  House — Circumstances  which  led  to  its 
erection — Difficulties  attending  the  worlc. 

It  is  a  remark  not  unfrequently  illustrated 
in  the  experience  of  Christians,  that  those 
who  live  in  entire  devotion  to  the  service  of 
God,  are  often  permitted  in  the  use  of  means 
apparently  the  most  insignificant,  to  behold 
extensive  and  blessed  results.  This  was.  pre- 
eminently the  case  with  Francke  in  his  la- 
bours, and  especially  in  his  efforts  for  the 
poor.  He  was  not  rich,  yet  he  commenced 
and  completed,  by  Divine  assistance,  an  estab- 
lishment as  extensive  as  aknost  any  other  of 
its  kind  in  Europe,  with  which  his  name  will 
ever  be  associated,  and  by  which  his  memory 
will  no  doubt  reach  to  the  most  distant  gene- 
rations. Faith  seems  in  him  to  have  been 
indeed  a  living  principle,  enabling  him,  with 
full  assurance  of  success  when  in  the  path 
of  duty,  to  undertake  any  enterprise  which 
promised  to  do  good.     His  life  was  a  life  of 


102  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

dependence  upon  the  Son  of  God;  and  the 
secret  of  his  usefulness  was,  that  he  "  com- 
mitted his  ways  unto  the  Lord,"  and  "  leaned 
not  to  his  own  understanding."     This  truth 
will  be  fully  exemplified  in  the  history  of  the 
Orphan  House,  of  which  he  was  the  founder. 
It  was  then  customary  at  Halle,  for  the 
poor  to  call,  at  stated  times,  at  the  houses  of 
their  benefactors,  to  receive  alms.     In  the 
suburb  of  Glaucha,  they  generally  came  once 
a  week;  and  on  these  occasions,  Francke  was 
in  the  habit  of  giving  them  food,  &c.     A 
company  of  beggars  is,  in  general,  a  most 
disgusting   sight,   and   the   feelings  of  pity 
which   they  excite,  are  commonly  mingled 
with  those  of  disapprobation  and  abhorrence. 
Such,  however,  were  not   the  emotions   of 
Francke,  as,  week  after  week,  they  assembled 
before  his  house  in  considerable  numbers.  He 
saw,  indeed,  many  among  them  whose  vices 
were  the   sole  cause  of  their  misery,  and 
whose  condition  was  truly  wretched,  being  lost 
almost  to  the  common  feelings  of  humanity. 
But  there  was  another  class  not  less  misera- 
ble, but  less  guilty,  who  interested  his  feelings 
much  more,  and  these  were  the  children  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANC  KK.  103$ 

youth,  who  were  growing  up  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  pernicious  influences,  and  becoming 
daily  more  depraved. 

One  day  as  they  collected  before  his  door, 
having  long  meditated  some  plan  for  doing 
them  good  without  coming  to  any  particular 
result,  he  w  ent  out  and  brought  them  all  into 
his  house,  and  caused  them  to  be  seated,  the 
older  people  on  one  side,  and  the  children  on 
the  ether.  He  then  began  to  question  the 
children  upon  the  Catechism,  and  to  inquire 
into  their  knowledge  of  Divine  truth,  in  a  kind 
and  engaging  manner,  permitting  the  parents 
and  older  persons  to  hear.  After  continuing 
this  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  made  a  short 
prayer  and  dismissed  them,  after  distributing 
to  them  their  usual  alms.  He  requested  them 
to  come  in  a  similar  w  ay  every  week,  that  he 
might  impart  to  them  spiritual  and  temporal 
food  at  the  same  time.  This  was  about  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1694,  about  the  time 
that  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  Pro- 
fessorship. 

In  examining  the  children  on  these  occa- 
sions, he  found  among  them  the  most  deplora- 
ble ignorance.     His  first  desire,  of  course^ 


104  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

was  to  give  them  some  proper  ideas  of  the 
nature  of  rehgion,  as  the  foundation  of  all 
moral  improvement ;  and  as  this  could  not 
be  well  done  but  by  teaching  them  to  read,  he 
determined  to  give  them  the  means  of  instruc- 
tion. He  distributed  to  their  parents  a  small 
sumof  money  weekly;  sufficient,  however,  to 
enable  them  to  send  their  children  to  school. 
He  soon  discovered  that  this  plan  was  not 
about  to  secure  his  object;  for  many  of  them 
used  the  money  for  other  purposes,  and 
neglected  their  children;  and  of  those  who 
came  to  school,  very  few  received  any  parti- 
cular advantage. 

Another  class  of  poor,  to  wit,  those  whose 
feelings  would  not  suffer  them  to  beg,  but 
who  were  not  the  less  in  need  of  aid,  in- 
terested his  feelings.  To  relieve  their  neces- 
sities, and  to  support  the  charity  he  had  al- 
ready begun  to  the  poor  children,  he  obtained 
a  box,  and  sent  it  around  weekly,  among  the 
pious  students  and  others,  for  contributions. 
The  collection  thus  made  was  very  small, 
and  soon  ceased  altogether,  on  account  of 
the  poverty  of  those  who  had  contributed. 
He  then  fastened  up  a  box  in  his  house,  above 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


105 


which  he  made  this  inscription,  "Whoso 
hath  this  world's  good,  and  seeth  his  brother 
have  need,  and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of 
compassion  from  him,  how  dwelleth  the  love 
of  God  in  him?"  and  below,  this,  "Every  man 
as  he  hath  purposed  in  his  heart,  so  let  him 
give,  not  grudgingly  or  of  necessity ;  for  God 
loveth  a  cheerful  oriver."  This  box  was  more 
successful  than  the  former,  for  frequent  dona- 
tions were  made  to  it  by  those  who  came  in- 
to his  house. 

About  three  months  afterwards,  some 
person  deposited  in  this  box  at  one  time,  the 
sum  of  four  dollars  and  sixteen  groschen,*  for 
the  poor.  When  Francke  saw  this  sum,  he 
was  much  delighted,  and  said,  in  joyful  faith, 
"  This  is  a  considerable  capital,  worthy  to  be 
laid  out  in  some  important  undertaking:  1 
will  commence  a  charity-school  therewith." 
This  resolution  was  no  sooner  adopted,  than 
he  began  to  put  it  in  execution.     He  pur- 

»  A  German  or  Rix  dollar,  is  about  70  cents  American  cur- 
rency;  and  tlie  Groschen,  of  which  24  make  the  dollar,  are,  of 
course,  equal  to  nearly  three  cents  each.  Money  was,  at  that 
time,  in  Prussia,  much  more  valuable  than  at  present,  which 
will  partly  account  for  the  amount  accomplished  by  this  small 
sum. 


106  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

chased  books  to  the  amount  of  two  dollars, 
and  engaged  an  indigent  student,  for  a  small 
sum,  to  teach  the  children  he  might  collect, 
two  hours  daily.  The  children  received  the 
books  gladly,  and  came  wilhngly  to  school; 
but  of  the  twenty-seven  who  received  them, 
only  four  or  five  returned  on  the  second  day ; 
their  parents  or  they  themselves,  having  dis- 
posed of  their  books,  and  being  on  this  ac- 
count ashamed  to  come  again.  This  mis- 
fortune at  the  outset  did  not,  however,  dis- 
courage Francke.  He  expended  the  remain- 
der of  his  money  in  books,  and  took  care  that 
the  children  should  not  take  them  home  with 
them. 

He  was  as  yet  unable  to  hire  a  place  for 
the  school;  but  ever  ready  to  make  sacrifices 
of  personal  comfort  for  the  purpose  of  doing 
good,  he  appropriated  a  part  of  his  own  study 
to  this  object.  In  this  room  he  placed  an- 
other box  with  this  inscription,  "For  the 
education  and  assistance  of  poor  children ;" 
and  "  He  that  hath  pity  on  the  poor,  lendeth 
to  the  Lord;  and  that  which  he  hath  given, 
will  He  pay  him  again."  About  two  months 
afterwards,  in  June  1695,  he  was  visited  W 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAXCKE.  10  < 

some  friends,  who  were  gratified  Vvith  his 
efforts,  and  contributed  several  dollars  to  the 
support  of  the  school.  He  received  too,  from 
time  to  time  small  donations  by  his  box. 
Soon  after  this,  some  of  the  citizens  who  saw 
that  the  children  under  his  care  were  well 
instructed,  offered  to  send  some  of  their  chil- 
dren to  the  school,  paying  a  small  sum  for 
each  child ;  enough,  however,  to  enable  him 
to  increase  the  salary  of  the  teacher,  and 
increase  the  number  of  hours  employed  in 
giving  instruction.  He  had  altogether  about 
fifty  or  sixty  scholars  this  summer;  the  poorer 
of  whom,  besides  gratuitous  instruction,  re- 
ceived other  alms,  two  or  three  times  a  week. 
His  undertaking  had  now  become  so  well 
known,  that  he  received,  occasionally,  dona- 
tions of  money  and  clothing  for  the  poor 
children.  It  was  during  this  summer,  that 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  "  Royal  School," 
as  it  was  afterwards  called.  A  widow  lady 
of  rank,  made  application  to  him  for  a  teacher 
to  take  charge  of  her  children,  and  those  of 
her  friends;  and  he,  being  unable  to  find  one 
who  had  made  the  necessary  attainments  for 
such  a  station,  proposed  that  these  children 


108 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


should  be  sent  to  Halle,  where  he  would  take 
charge  of  them,  and  put  them  under  the  di- 
rection of  competent  teachers  and  guardians. 
This  plan  was  agreed  to;  and  in  the  course  of 
a  few  months,  some  more  pupils  were  sent  in 
the  same  way,  so  that  the  school  gradually 
grew  in  reputation  and  importance,  having,  in 
1709,  seventy  scholars  and  twenty  teachers. 
This  summer  too,  he  received  a  donation, 
w  hich  formed  quite  an  era  in  the  history  of 
his  charitable  efforts.  This  was  the  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  sent  him  by  a  pious  indivi- 
dual, to  be  applied  to  the  use  of  the  poor, 
and  especially  the  poor  students,  of  whom 
there  are  always  many  at  the  German 
Universities.  It  may  be  supposed,  that  it 
was  with  no  little  joy  that  he  looked  upon 
this  sum,  which  gave  to  his  efforts  an  im- 
portance which  he  had  as  yet  scarcely  at- 
tached to  them  himself.  Besides  this,  he 
leceived,  in  the  course  of  the  autumn,  one  or 
two  other  donations,  amounting  to  a  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars;  part  of  which  was  ex- 
pressly for  the  charity-school.  About  this 
time  his  scholars  had  increased  so  much,  that 
they  could  not  be  taught  in  the  room  they 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  109 

had  thus  far  occupied,  and  he  rented  another, 
in  a  neighbouring  house,  and  shortly  after, 
one  more.  He  now  divided  the  children  of 
the  citizens,  from  the  charity  scholars,  and 
appointed  a  separate  teacher  for  each  depart- 
ment. 

Francke  could  not  but  remark,  that  though 
the  children  were  carefully  taught,  many  of 
them  lost  all  the  advantages  of  their  instruc- 
tion, from  the  evil  influence  of  their  compan- 
ions out  of  scliool,  who  were  generally  de- 
praved and  ignorant.  The  idea  occurred  to 
him,  that  he  should  take  some  of  these  chil- 
dren entirely  into  his  own  hands,  and  bring 
them  up  under  his  own  eye.  This  was  the 
thought  which  gave  origin  to  the  Orphan 
House ;  for  from  this  he  was  led  on,  step  by 
step,  until  he  was  almost  compelled  to  under- 
take the  work  of  erecting  that  establishment. 
He  mentioned  the  plan  of  taking  some  of  the 
orphan,  and  other  poor  children,  under  his 
own  care,  to  some  friends,  one  of  whom  dying 
shortly  after,  left  him  five  hundred  dollars, 
the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  appropriated 
to  their  support.  He  looked  upon  this  event 
as  a  mark  of  divine  approbation  of  his  plan ; 


110  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

and  began  immediately  to  inquire  for  some 
little  orphan,  to  Avhose  support  he  might 
devote  this  sum.  He  received  infonnation 
of  a  family  of  four,  left  without  parents,  and 
entirely  destitute.  Instead  of  one  of  these, 
he  took  the  whole  four ;  but  a  pious  person 
having  relieved  him  of  the  burden  of  one  of 
them,  he  found  another  in  its  stead.  He 
placed  them  in  pious  famihes,  where  their 
m-^vrals  and  habits  would  be  attended  to,  for 
which  attention  he  paid  a  small  sum,  and 
caused  them  to  be  instructed  in  his  charity 
school.  He  had  taken  this  step  in  reliance 
upon  God,  and  he  now  found  that  He  often 
gives  increase  of  faith  and  ability  to  them 
who  trust  in  him.  He  had  not  the  means  of 
supporting  even  one  of  these  children;  and 
yet,  says  he,  "  as  I  had  begun  without  any 
other  support  than  trust  in  God,  to  take 
charge  of  these  orphans,  I  now  felt  en- 
couraged to  undertake  even  more  than  this." 
The  following  day  he  received  two  orphans, 
and  shortly  afterwards  three  more.  He  ap- 
pointed a  superintendent  to  take  charge  of 
them  and  their  affairs,  as  he  was  already  en- 
gaged in  so  many  duties,  that  he  could  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  Ill 

attend  personally  to  them.  The  person 
chosen  was  George  H.  Neubauer,  a  student 
of  Theology,  who  had  manifested  considera- 
ble interest  in  children,  by  assisting  Francke 
in  catechising  the  children  at  Glaucha. 

In  the  meantime,  while  he  was  incurring 
these  additional  expenses,  God  did  not  for- 
sake him,  nor  suffer  his  faith  to  fail.  "At  this 
time,"  says  he,  "He  who  is  the  father  of 
the  fatherless,  and  who  is  able  to  do  for  us 
far  more  than  we  can  ask  or  think,  came  to 
my  assistance  in  a  manner  that  my  poor 
reason  could  never  have  anticipated.  He 
moved  the  heart  of  the  person  who  made  me 
the  first  large  donation  which  I  received,  to 
give  me  a  thousand  dollars,  for  my  orphans 
and  my  school.  Another  person  sent  me  three 
hundred  dollars;  another  a  hundred,  and 
many  gave  me  smaller  sums.*'  He  was  en- 
abled now  not  only  to  support  his  children, 
and  to  assist  many  of  the  indigent  students, 
but  to  purchase  and  enlarge  the  house  where 
his  schools  had  hitherto  been  taught.  In 
taking  this  step,  he  seems  to  have  acted 
under  the  conviction  that  he  was  laying  the 
foundation   of   an    institution    which    God 


112  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

would  give  him  the  means  of  supporting,  and 
which  would  be  lasting  and  important. 
Having  now  a  house  large  enough  for  his 
schools,  and  for  the  accommodation  of  his 
orphan  children,  he  brought  them  all  together 
under  the  same  roof,  under  the  care  of  Neu- 
bauer  their  superintendent,  assisted  by  such 
teachers  as  were  necessary.  The  number 
of  children  thus  supported  soon  amounted  to 
eighteen. 

The  assistance  which  he  had  imparted  to 
the  indigent  students,  consisted  hitherto  of  a 
small  sum  of  money,  weekly.  He  determined 
now  to  give  thcui  their  meals,  free  of  expense, 
at  a  public  table  in  the  Orphan  House.  He 
thought  this  plan  hkely  to  be  more  advanta- 
geous to  the  students  themselves,  and  it  gave 
him  the  opportunity  of  advising  them,  watch- 
ing over  their  deportment,  and  correcting  what 
he  saw  amiss.  It  also  enabled  him  to  learn 
their  characters  and  attainments  so  well,  as 
to  be  able  to  choose  with  safety  his  teachers 
from  among  them.  These  students  were, 
many  of  them,  intending  to  become  teachers, 
and  Francke  afterwards  formed  them  into  a 
"  teacher's  seminary,"  or  school  for  teachers, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  11!^ 

in  which  he  trained  up  instructors  for  the 
numerous  departments  of  the  Orphan-house 
schools,  and  for  similar  situations  throughout 
Germany. 

Not  long  after  this,  finding  himself  again 
in  want  of  room,  for  his  constantly  increasing 
pupils,  he  bought  the  house  immediately 
adjoining  his  present  one,  and  united  the  two 
together.  He  now  divided  his  school  again, 
into  a  male  and  female  department,  and  these 
again  into  different  classes,  each  of  which 
had  their  separate  hours  of  instruction,  as 
well  as  different  teachers.  They  w^ere  all 
taught  gratuitously,  except  the  children  of  the 
citizens,  who  had  increased  so  much  as  to 
form  a  large  school  of  themselves.  Some 
of  these  last,  who  w^ere  intended  to  receive  a 
liberal  education,  were  formed  into  a  separate 
class ;  and  together  with  some  of  the  orphan 
boys  of  superior  understanding,  were  put  un- 
der the  care  of  distinct  teachers,  to  receive 
instmction  in  the  sciences,  and  lanc^uao^es. 
This  branch  of  the  school  soon  increased  be- 
yond almost  any  other,  amounting,  in  about 
ten  years,  to  above  two  hundred  and  fifty 
scholars,  sixty-four  of  whom  were  orphans. 
k2 


114  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

In  1730,  the  number  belonging  to  this  school 
was  five  hundred. 

Still  the  number  of  his  scholars,  and  of  the 
students  whom  he  gratuitously  supplied  at 
the  Orphan-house  table,  increased,  until  at 
length  his  two  houses  were  too  small  to  ac- 
commodate them.  He  began  now  to  think 
of  obtaining  a  large  building;  and  with  a  view 
of  securing  a  good  plan,  in  case  he  was  com- 
pelled to  erect  one,  he  sent  Neubauer  to 
Holland,  to  visit  the  celebrated  Orphan  houses 
of  that  country.  In  the  mean  time  a  large 
hotel,  near  one  of  the  gates  of  the  city,  was 
offered  for  sale;  and  thinking  the  house  a 
convenient  one  for  his  purpose,  Francke 
bought  it  for  1950  dollars.* 

But  even  this  building  was  soon  too  small 
for  his  purpose,  the  orphan  children  amount- 
ing to  a  hundred,  and  the  students,  who  re- 
ceived their  food  at  the  public  table,  to  seven- 
ty, with  numerous  teachers,  overseers,  and 
servants ;  and  he  was  compelled  to  prepare 

*  We  mention  the  amount,  that  the  reader  may  contrast 
the  sums  which  Providence  now  enabled  Francke  to  expend, 
with  those  at  the  commencement  of  his  undertaking,  when  the 
purchase  of  twenty  or  thirty  little  books,  almost  exhausted  his 


MExMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  115 

for  erecting  a  still  larger  building.  The 
ground  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
hotel,  offered  a  convenient  situation,  and  he 
purchased  it  shortly  after,  as  a  site  for  the 
new  Orphan  House.  It  might  be  supposed 
that  Francke  would  not  venture  upon  such 
an  undertaking  as  that  he  now^  contemplated, 
without  some  amount  of  funds,  already  pro- 
vided. The  foUowinor  is  his  own  lanoruaoje 
on  this  subject :  "  Since  the  work  has  been 
thus  far  carried  on  without  any  sum  of  money, 
or  other  means  secured  beforehand,  but  by 
that  which  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  send 
at  the  time;  so,  though  at  this  time  I  had  not 
the  funds  necessary  for  erecting  even  a  very 
small  house,  much  less  such  a  one  as  I  now- 
thought  of,  yet  God,  in  his  goodness,  gave  me 
such  a  confidence  in  himself,  that  I  came  to  the 
determination  to  commence  the  building  with- 
out delay."  Accordingly,  Neubauer  was  re- 
called from  Holland,  a  plan  agreed  upon,  and 
the  foundation  of  the  new  Orphan  House  laid, 
with  religious  exercises,  on  the  24th  of  July, 
1698. 

The  history  of  the  various  trials  which  at- 
tended the  erection  of  this  building,  and  the 


116  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

spirit  with  which  they  were  endured,  is  so  in- 
teresting, that  we  shall  give  it  with  a  con- 
siderable deofree  of  minuteness.^  The  diffi- 
culties  at  the  very  commencement  of  the 
work  were  numerous,  and  would  have  caused 
a  man  of  less  faith  and  perseverance,  to  de- 
spond. There  was  at  one  time  a  deficiency 
of  lime  and  sand,  then  of  stone,  then  of  the 
horses  necessary  to  bring  these  materials, 
and  at  another  of  money.  In  such  cases  he 
always  resorted  to  his  closet,  and  there 
made  known  his  wants  by  prayer  to  God. 
For  every  thing  except  the  timber  for  the 
building,  which  alone  was  provided  in  any 
sufficient  quantity,   he  depended  upon   the 

*  Before  entering  upon  the  narration  of  these  facts,  it  may  be 
well  to  remind  the  reader,  that  the  plan  of  erecting  this  OrpJian 
House  was  exceedingly  popular.  The  success  which  had  attended 
his  efforts  to  provide  temporary  accommodations  for  the  orphans, 
was  doubtless  well  known.  He  had  travelled  abroad  very  much, 
and  was  highly  distinguished ;  and  when  he  undertook  the  more 
important  and  expensive  work  of  erecting  such  a  building,  it  ex- 
cited universal  attention  and  sympathy.  Donations  might  well  be 
expected  in  every  form,  and  from  almost  every  source;  and  some- 
times the  supply  would  be  remarkably  adapted  to  the  nee«I. 
From  a  knowledge  of  the  general  views  and  character  of  Francke, 
we  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  there  was  nothing  like 
presumption  in  his  measures  or  expectations,  though  his  faith 
was  stronjs:  and  unwavcrinff. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  117 

good  hand  of  the  Lord,  from  week  to  week, 
and  he  was  never  disappointed.  It  happened 
often  that  he  was  without  a  single  farthing, 
when  hundreds  of  persons  were  to  be  sup- 
pHed  from  his  table,  so  that  he  was  compelled 
to  dispose  of  every  thing  that  was  not  indis- 
pensable, to  be  able  to  purchase  bread  ;  once 
the  steward  was  unable  to  obtain  a  few  cents, 
to  purchase  candles,  that  the  children  might 
not  sit  in  darkness,  until  it  was  already  dark; 
and  yet  assistance  was  always  rendered, 
though  sometimes  in  the  last  extremity.  The 
children  were  always  comfortably  provided 
for,  and  the  labourers  regularly  received  their 
hire.  The  labours  of  each  day  were  com- 
menced with  prayer;  and  at  the  end  of  the 
week,  when  the  workmen  were  paid,  they 
were  addressed  by  some  one,  and  the  duties 
of  the  week  closed  in  a  similar  manner. 
They  laboured  with  alacrity  and  pleasure, 
and  the  work,  notwithstanding  its  size,  and 
the  hinderances  alluded  to,  went  gradually 
and  steadily  forward ;  and  in  about  a  year 
the  walls  were  completed,  and  the  building 
covered.  In  April  1700,  it  began  to  be  in- 
habited, and  not  long  after  was  entirely  fin- 


1 18  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

ished,  as  if  to  silence  those  who  so  Hberallj 
censured  the  undertaking. 

The  narrative  which  Francke  gives  of  his 
labours,  and  the  many  instances  of  divine  in- 
terference in  his  behalf,  is  truly  edifying,  dis- 
playing in  himself,  a  most  surprising  confi- 
dence in  God ;  and  a  series  of  providential 
assistances  which  would  scarcely  be  credited, 
were  they  not  so  abundantly  confirmed  by 
the  testimony  of  witnesses.* 

"About  the  month  of  April  1696,  our 
funds  were  almost  exhausted,  and  I  knew  not 

*  These  witnesses  were  contemporary  with  Francke,  and 
some  of  them,  his  acquaintances  and  pupils.  Their  testimony  is 
carefully  compiled  by  his  biographer,  from  various  accounts  of 
his  life,  in  funeral  discourses,  and  other  works  of  the  best 
character  still  extant. 

See  "Die  Personalien,  welche  der  von  J.  G.  Francke,  bald 
nach  A.  H.  Franckens  Tode  gehalten,  Leichenpredigt,  angc- 
fuegt  sind,  (in  den  Epicedien  Franckens  befindlich.) 

Also  "  Oeffentliche  Erweckungsrede  an  die  Studiosos  Theo- 
logise,  auf  der  Kcenigs.  Univ.,  ucber  das  Beispiel  A.  H.  Franckens, 
gehalten  am  25  Jan.  1727,  von  G.  F.  Rogall." 

"  Kurze,  jedoch  gruendliche  Nachricht  von  dem  sehr  merkw. 
und  erbau.  Lebenslauf.  A.  H.  Franckens,  etc."  Budingen,  1728. 

"Franckens  Stiftungen,"  3  baendc,  1792 — 1798,  and  various 
other  works  quoted  in  the  work  from  which  this  is  extracted,  to 
wit,  *'  A.  H.  Francke,  eine  Denkschrift  zur  Ssecularfeier  seines 
Todes."  (Halle,  1827.) 

See  also  "Conversations  Lexikon,"  now  editing  in  Philadelphia, 
under  the  name  of  "Encyclopedia  Americana,"  art.  Francke. 


ME3I01RS  OF  FRANCKE.  119 

whither  to  look  for  the  necessary  suppHes, 
for  the  next  week.  This  caiiseci  me  the  greater 
(hstress,  as  I  was  not  at  that  time  accustomed 
to  such  trials.  But  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
send  me  assistance,  and  at  the  very  time 
when  it  was  needed.  He  inclined  the  heart 
of  some  person,  who  was,  and  is  yet  unknown 
to  me,  to  put  into  my  hands,  by  means  of  an- 
other individual,  the  sum  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  support  of  the  Orphan  House. 
The  Lord  be  praised  for  his  goodness,  and 
reward  the  giver  a  thousand  fold,  with  spir- 
itual blessings  !  At  another  time,  when  our 
stores  were  exhausted,  the  steward  came  to 
me,  and  represented,  that  it  would  be  neces- 
sary soon  to  procure  a  considerable  amount 
of  provisions.  We  laid  our  case  before  the 
Lord.  Soon  an  opportunity  offered  of  ob- 
taining the  necessary  funds  for  our  purpose, 
from  a  friend  who  needed  but  to  know  of  our 
wants,  to  offer  his  aid.  But  we  were  unwilling 
to  be  burdensome  to  him,  as  he  had  been  al- 
ready liberal  in  his  donations,  and  we  wished 
to  leave  ourselves  in  the  hands  of  God,  know- 
ing that  He  was  able,  and  he  had  shown 
himself  willing,  to  assist  us.     We  therefore 


120  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

commended  ourselves  anew  to  him  in  prayer, 
and  we  had  scarcely  finished,  when  there  was 
a  knock  at  my  door,  and  a  well-known  friend 
entered,  bringing  me  a  letter  and  fifty  dollars 
in  gold,  from  a  person  in  another  place.  This, 
together  with  twenty  dollars,  which  were  re- 
ceived soon  after,  completely  supplied  our 
wants,  and  we  were  taught  that  God  will  often 
hear  prayer,  almost  before  it  is  offered." 

"  In  the  month  of  October  1698,  I  sent  a 
ducat  to  a  poor  and  afflicted  woman,  in 
another  place.  I  received,  soon  after,  a  letter 
from  her,  saying,  that  it  had  come  to  hand  at 
a  time  when  she  greatly  needed  it ;  and  pray- 
ing God  to  return  to  my  poor  children  a 
'  heap  of  ducats,'  for  it.  Soon  after,  I  re- 
ceived from  a  friend  twenty-five  ducats,  from 
another  two,  and  from  two  others  forty-five. 
About  this  time  too,  Prince  Paul  of  Wur- 
temberg  died,  and  left  a  large  purse  marked, 
'for  the  Orphan  House  at  Halle,'  which  I 
found  to  contain  five  hundred  ducats  in  gold. 
When  I  saw  all  this  money  on  the  table  be- 
fore me,  I  could  not  but  think  of  the  prayer 
of  the  poor  woman,  and  how  literally  it 
had  been  fulfilled.    In  February  1699,  I  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  121 

again  in  very  straitened  circumstances,  and 
must  enumerate  that  among  my  times  of 
trial.  I  was  almost  entirely  without  funds, 
although  much  was  needed,  for  the  supply 
of  the  daily  wants  of  the  children,  and  other 
poor.  In  this  state  of  difficulty,  I  comforted 
myself  with  the  promise  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
'  seek  first  the  kinordom  of  God,  and  his  rio^h- 
teousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you,'  and  strove  to  bring  myself  to  an 
unwavering  confidence  in  God.  When  I  had 
given  out  the  last  of  our  money,  I  prayed  to 
the  Lord  to  look  upon  my  necessities.  As 
I  left  my  room  to  go  into  the  College,  to  de- 
liver my  usual  lecture,  I  found  a  student  wait- 
ing for  me  below,  who  put  into  my  hands  the 
sum  of  seventy  dollars,  which  had  been  sent 
me  from  a  distance.  Although  our  expenses 
were  now  so  great,  that  this  money  did 
not  last  but  two  or  three  days,  and  I  was 
unable  to  predict  how  I  should  be  able  to 
meet  them  for  the  future,  yet  by  the  good 
providence  of  the  Lord,  our  difficulties  were 
constantly  relieved." 

Francke  states,  that  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  trials  and  embarrassments,  so  precisely 


122  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

was  the  supply  suited  to  their  wants,  that  in 
no  instance  had  the  children  been  forced  to 
go  without  their  meals ;  and  no  one,  except 
his  immediate  assistants,  was  acquainted 
with  their  difficulties.  This  is  not  a  Httle 
surprising,  when  we  remember  that  hundreds 
depended  upon  him ;  and  not  less  so,  the  fact 
that  his  own  tranquillity  and  peace  of  mind 
were  constantly  retained. 

"Soon  afterwards," he  continues, "we were 
in  the  greatest  want,  and  the  steward  came 
to  me,  asking  for  money  to  meet  the  expenses 
of  the  week.  I  knew  not  what  to  reply  to 
him ;  for  I  was  without  funds,  and  had  no  ex- 
pectation of  any  supply.  But  I  trusted  in 
the  Lord,  and  determined  to  go  to  my  closet, 
and  spread  my  wants  before  him.  As  I  was 
engaged,  however,  in  dictating  to  an  amanu- 
ensis, I  sat  down  until  this  piece  of  work 
should  be  finished.  When  it  was  ended,  I 
arose  to  go  to  my  closet,  and  while  on  my 
way,  a  letter  was  put  into  my  hands  from  a 
merchant,  informing  me  that  he  had  received 
a  check  for  a  thousand  dollars,  to  be  paid 
me  for  the  Orphan  House.  How  forcibly  did 
I  feel  the  meaning  of  that  promise,  (Isaiah 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


123 


Ixv.  24,)  'Before  they  call  I  will  answer, 
and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear  !' 
I  had  now  no  reason  to  ask  for  assistance, 
but  went  and  praised  the  Lord  for  his  good- 
ness. I  was  thus  led  more  and  more,  to  place 
my  trust  upon  God,  and  give  up  all  depen- 
dence upon  man." 

"  At  another  time,  in  the  same  year,  when 
I  was  in  similar  circumstances,  I  walked 
abroad  and  meditated  upon  the  glory  of  na- 
ture ;  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  my 
faith  was  thereby  much  strengthened.  I  said 
within  myself,  '  How  happy  is  tiiat  man,  who, 
though  he  is  poor,  and  can  lean  on  nothing 
here  below,  can  trust  in  the  living  God,  who 
made  these  heavens  and  this  earth,  and  thus 
be  satisfied  and  joyful,  even  though  in  ad- 
versity!' Although  I  well  knew  that  for 
this  very  day,  I  had  need  of  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  yet  my  heart  was  even  joyful, 
for  I  was  strong  in  faith  in  God.  When  I 
came  into  the  house,  the  superintendent  of 
the  building  was  there,  and  desired  some 
money  for  the  payment  of  the  labourers. 
'  Has  any  money  been  received?'  said  he.  I 
answered,  'No;   but  I  have  faith  in  God.' 


124  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

Scarcely  had  I  uttered  these  words,  when 
some  one  was  announced  at  the  door;  and  on 
going  to  him,  I  found  he  had  brought  me 
thirty  dollars  from  some  person,  whom  he 
would  not  name.  I  returned  to  the  study, 
and  asked  the  superintendent  how  much 
money  he  needed.  He  replied,  '  Thirty  dol- 
lars.' '•  Here  they  are,'  said  I.  We  were 
both  strengthened  in  our  faith,  by  this  happy 
supply,  since  we  saw  therein  the  hand  of 
God,  in  giving  us  what  was  necessary  at  the 
very  time  when  it  was  needed." 

''  At  another  time  of  great  need  with  us, 
I  made  particular  use  in  my  prayer  to  God, 
of  the  fourth  petition  in  the  Lord's  prayer, 
'  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,'  and  dwelt 
up'ju  the  words  this  day — for  we  needed  im- 
mediate aid.  While  I  was  yet  praying,  a 
friend  to  the  Orphan  House  came  to  my  door 
and  brought  me  four  hundred  dollars. — In 
the  year  1700, 1  was  sick  for  some  weeks, 
and  when  I  recovered,  and  was  able  to  go  out 
for  the  first  time,  I  prayed  the  Lord  to  bless 
my  '^oings-out,  and  my  comings-in.'  This 
prayer  he  was  pleased  literally  to  answer; 
for  as  1  left  the  house,  a  most  comforting  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  FllANCKE.  12.) 

encouraging  letter  was  put  into  my  hand, 
and  at  my  return  another,  containing  a  hun- 
dred dollars  for  the  support  of  our  children, 
with  the  exhortation  to  continue  the  good 
work.  This  letter  was  from  a  pious  merchant, 
a  hundred  miles  distant.  The  Lord  remem- 
ber his  kindness  !  On  one  occasion,  a  pious 
and  benevolent  female  was  visiting  our  Or- 
phan-house, and  discovered  that  we  were 
much  in  want  of  many  things,  but  though  in 
the  habit  of  doing  much  for  us,  she  could  not 
now  render  any  assistance.  She,  however, 
spoke  of  our  situation  to  another  person, 
who  replied  to  her,  that  she  was  just  about  to 
give  fifty  dollars  to  the  Orphan  House.  Our 
friend  saw  the  hand  of  God  so  clearly  therein, 
and  was  so  grateful  for  the  supply  of  our 
wants,  that  she  was  moved  even  to  weeping." 

The  instances  of  this  kind  which  occurred 
were  very  numerous  during  the  whole  pro- 
gress of  the  work,  and  they  could  be  enume- 
rated to  almost  any  extent.  Some  of  the 
more  remarkable  that  remain  of  those  which 
his  biographer  has  selected,  must  suffice  for 
this  work. 

"It  has  often  happened,  that  when  1  have 


126  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

been  relating  to  strangers  who  were  visiting 
me,  some  of  the  providences  which  have  at- 
tended this  undertaking,  that  they  have  been 
witnesses  to  similar  instances  while  present 
with  me,  much  to  the  confirmation  of  their 
faith.  It  happened  once  when  a  friend  from 
a  distance  was  sitting  with  me,  that  a  boy 
came  in,  bringing  with  him  twenty  dollars 
for  the  Orphan  House,  and  a  written  pro- 
mise that  the  same  amount  should  be  yearly 
sent  to  us,  as  long  as  the  life  and  health 
of  the  giver  were  preserved.  He  would 
not  mention  the  name  of  the  donor,  and 
wished  only  a  receipt.  At  another  time  I 
was  recounting  to  a  Christian  friend  some 
of  our  remarkable  deliverances  from  want, 
by  which  he  was  so  much  affected,  that  he 
even  wept.  While  I  was  speaking,  as  if  to 
confirm  my  statements,  I  received  a  letter 
containing  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars." 

Such  instances  occurred  not  unfrequently, 
and  tended  not  a  little  to  strengthen  their  faith 
in  the  promises  of  God,  and  to  convince  them 
of  his  favour  towards  this  work. 

"  It  happened  once,  that  I  was  in  need  of 
a  large  sum  of  money,  but  had  it  not,  and  did 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  127 

not  know  where  to  obtain  even  ten  dollars. 
The  steward  came  to  me  with  his  accounts, 
but  having  no  money  for  him,  I  asked  him  to 
come  again  after  dinner,  and  in  the  mean- 
time gave  myself  to  prayer.  When  he  came 
in  the  afternoon,  all  that  I  could  do  was  to 
ask  him  to  come  ao^ain  in  the  evenino-.  In 
the  afternoon  I  was  visited  by  a  friend,  with 
whom  I  united  in  prayer  to  God.  I  was 
moved  to  praise  him  for  the  wonders  of  his 
providence  to  men  in  all  ages,  and  especially 
for  the  remarkable  instances  given  us  in  his 
word.  So  much  was  I  confirmed  in  my  faith 
by  this  service,  that  I  did  not  once  ask  the 
Lord  to  relieve  my  present  difficulties.  As  I 
accompanied  my  friend  to  the  door  at  his  de- 
parture, I  found  the  stew^ard  standing  on  one 
side,  and  on  the  other,  another  person  who 
put  into  my  hands  a  purse  containing  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars.'' 

'•  Some  time  afterwards,  the  superintendent 
of  the  building  came  for  money  to  pay  his 
labourers.  A  friend  who  was  present,  pro- 
mised me  ten  dollars,  and  another  fourj  but 
could  not  give  them  to  me  at  the  time.  So  I 
said  to  him,  'God  will  not  leave  us  without 


128  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

assistance,'  and  let  him  depart.  When  he 
came  to  the  Orphan  House,  he  found  the 
labourers  assembled,  and  waiting  for  their 
money.  Just  then,  a  well  known  friend  of 
ours  met  him;  and  to  him  he  made  known 
his  wants.  This  friend  immediately  lent  him 
fourteen  dollars,  and  he  began  his  payments. 
Before  this  sum  was  exhausted  I  received 
from  another  place  upwards  of  thirty  dollars, 
which  I  immediately  sent  to  him,  and  he 
finished  his  payments  as  usual.  The  next 
week  we  were  in  equal  difficulty,  and  in  the 
same  way.  I  told  the  superintendent  that 
Ave  should  certainly  have  occasion  to  rejoice 
again  in  the  manifestation  of  God's  willing- 
ness to  favour  our  efforts,  and  repeated  to 
him,  as  he  left  me,  that  text,  'Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  us.'  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing I  received  fifty  dollars,  which  was  an 
abundant  supply  for  that  day. — On  a  certain 
occasion,  when  the  steward  was  about  to  sell 
a  number  of  articles  which  were  not  indis- 
pensable to  him,  I  received  a  hundred  dollars, 
and  relieved  the  difficulty  which  had  caused 
him  to  think  of  this  step;  and  not  many  hours 
after,  he  was  informed,  in  addition,  that  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRA.NX'KE.  129 

large  quantity  of  provisions  was  on  the  way 
to  Halle,  for  the  Orphan  House.  His  situa- 
tion was  one  of  the  most  arduous  in  the 
establishment,  but  he  was  so  much  encour- 
aged and  animated  by  this  unexpected  as- 
sistance, that  he  said  he  would  never  suffer 
himself  to  be  anxious  in  such  circumstances 
thereafter,  but  would  trust  confidently  in  God. 
He  afterwards  said,  that  from  that  time  for- 
ward, instead  of  being  cast  down  or  distress- 
ed by  difficulties  that  arose,  he  was  ever 
tliinking,  "  Now  we  shall  have  reason  again 
to  admire  the  manner  in  wh?ch  God  will 
come  to  our  aid.'' 

"  At  a  certain  time  when  oiu-  supplies  were 
again  exhausted,  I  was  conversing  with  my 
assistants  upon  the  state  of  our  affairs,  and 
recalling  to  mind  the  Lord's  mercies  to  us  in 
time  past,  and  rejoicing  with  them  in  the 
hope  of  continued  assistance,  and  in  the  pri- 
vilege of  casting  all  our  cares  upon  '  Him 
who  careth  for  us.'  We  prayed  together, 
and  committed  all  our  concerns  into  his 
hands.  The  same  hour  the  Lx)rd  moved  the 
heart  of  a  friend  of  ours  to  think  of  us,  and 
to  determine   to  send  a  donation  of  three 


130  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

hundred  dollars  to  the  Orphan  House,  which 
we  received  the  next  day.  On  a  similar  occa- 
sion shortly  after,  I  received  a  letter  contain- 
ing a  check  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
which  was  from  a  physician  on  the  other  side 
of  the  sea,  who  had  heard  something  of  the 
Orphan  House.  This  was  not  a  httle  en- 
couraging to  me ;  for  it  convinced  me,  that  the 
Lord,  rather  than  suffer  our  plan  to  fail,  would 
raise  up  friends  for  me  in  other  countries. — 
One  evening  the  steward  informed  me  that 
he  had  paid  out  the  last  of  his  money.  I 
replied  to  him  that  I  rejoiced  at  this,  for  God 
would  surely  gladden  our  hearts  again  by 
providing  what  was  necessary.  And  I  was 
not  disappointed :  for  the  next  morning  I  re- 
ceived the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars. 

"  On  a  certain  occasion,  when  I  was  not  a 
little  straitened  in  my  circumstances,  I  was 
walking  in  my  garden,  along  a  path  which 
was  planted  on  both  sides  with  lilies,  now  in 
full  bloom.  As  I  was  thinking  with  myself, 
those  words  of  our  Lord  came  into  my  mind : 
^Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they 
grow,  &c.  If  God  so  clothe  the  grass  which 
is  in  the  field shall  he  not  much  more 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAXCKE.  131 

clothe  you  ?  &c.'  I  determined  to  obey  this 
exhortation,  and  said,  mentally,  'I  will,  Lord, 
according  to  thy  word,  give  up  all  anxious 
thoughts  for  the  things  of  time ;  but  leave  me 
not  without  assistance ;  let  it  come  to  pass,  I 
pray,  according  as  Thou  hast  promised.' 
When  I  returned  to  the  house,  I  found  that 
during  my  absence  some  money  had  been 
received  for  me;  and  shortly  after  another 
donation  arrived,  which  quite  relieved  me  for 
the  time,  and  taught  me,  in  connection  with 
many  similar  instances,  to  trust  in  God  for 
the  future." 

The  following  incident  illustrates  two  or 
three  statements  already  made. — "One  of 
my  orphan  children,  who  had  been  a  long 
time  in  the  Orphan  House,  was  about,  on  a 
certain  occasion,  to  go  to  visit  his  friends, 
and  came  and  asked  me  for  two  dollars  to 
pay  his  expenses  by  the  way.  I  told  him 
that  I  should  be  glad  to  give  them  to  him,  but 
had  not  more  than  a  half  dollar  in  the  world. 
This  he  could  scarcely  believe,  as  he  had 
never  discovered  the  least  signs  of  poverty  at 
the  Orphan  House.  I  assured  him  of  ni}^ 
willingness  to  give  him  the  money  if  I  had  it, 


132  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

and  told  him  to  return  to  ine  again  after  a 
short  time,  thinking  I  might  obtain  it  for  him. 
I  thought,  as  he  left  me,  of  going  to  borrow 
it ;  but  being  engaged  in  a  piece  of  business 
which  could  not  be  postponed,  and  knowing 
that  the  Lord  could  easily  supply  this  little 
sum,  if  it  was  his  will,  I  kept  my  seat  Scarce- 
ly a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  elapsed  when  a 
certain  person  came  in,  bringing  me  twenty 
dollars,  and  saying,  that  he  had  received  it 
over  and  above  his  ordinary  annuity,  and 
wished  to  devote  it  to  the  use  of  the  orphans. 
I  was  now  enabled  to  give  the  boy  his  two 
dollars,  which  I  did  most  cheerfully." 

"  In  this  way  has  a  kind  and  merciful  God 
opened  the  hearts  of  men  to  sustain  this  work, 
and  a  great  number  of  instances  have  occur- 
red besides  those  which  I  have  here  related. 
During  the  time  when  our  expenses  were 
very  great,  particularly  while  engaged  in  the 
building  of  the  Orphan  House,  his  assistance 
was  proportioned  to  our  necessities,  and  we 
had  always  reason  to  rejoice  in  being  able  to 
trust  all  our  concerns  in  his  hands.  It  has 
pleased  the  same  wise  God,  however,  some- 
times to  withhold  his  aid  so  long,  tliat  those 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  133 

around  me  have  said,  that  He  did  not  appear 
to  look  upon  the  work  so  favourably  as  at  an 
earher  period.  On  one  occasion  especially, 
the  trial  of  our  faith  was  so  severe  that  I 
have  great  reason  to  bless  the  Lord  that  he 
did  not  suffer  the  minds  of  my  assistants  to 
become  impatient,  nor  unwilling  to  endure 
the  embarrassments  under  which  we  laboured. 
At  this  time,  when  those  who  laboured  with 
me  had  indulged  the  melancholy  thought  that 
God  had  left  us,  and  even  spoke  in  this  manner 
one  to  another;  in  that  very  hour,  He,  of  his 
infinite  mercy,  appeared  for  our  assistance, 
and  refreshed  us,  as  are  the  parched  fields  by 
the  plentiful  showers,  I  received  a  letter 
from  a  merchant,  enclosing  a  draft  for  five 
thousand  dollars  for  the  benefit  of  the  Orphan 
House.  The  giver  is  unknown  to  me,  for  he 
did  not  permit  his  name  to  be  mentioned. 
This  is  the  Lord's  work;  what  shall  I  return 
unto  him  for  all  his  benefits  ?  Praise  and  bless 
the  Lord,  oh  my  soul!  I  can  indeed  say, 
*The  Lord  hath  done  wondrous  things, 
whereof  we  are  glad.' " 

We  have,  perhaps,  extended  this  account 
farther  than  necessary,  but  it  will  serve  to 

M 


134  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

give  a  more  lively  impression  of  the  manner 
in  which  this  noble  institution  was  completed. 
The  contributors  to  it  were  of  every  station, 
and  almost  of  every  character.  The  king 
of  Prussia  took  a  lively  interest  in  its  success, 
presented  it  with  a  large  quantity  of  building 
materials,  one  thousand  dollars  in  money 
twice,  and  allowed  the  institution  many  pri- 
vileges. Besides  him,  officers,  civil  and  mili- 
tary, preachers  and  teachers,  citizens,  ser- 
vants, merchants,  widows  and  orphans  gave 
it  their  support.  Many  who  were  not  able 
to  give  money,  gave  their  labour.  An  apothe- 
cary supplied  the  Orphan  House  with  medi- 
cines for  a  long  time  free  of  expense,  and 
even  a  chimney-sweeper  gave  a  written  obli- 
gation to  Francke  to  clean  the  chimneys  gra- 
tuitously as  long  as  he  lived.  We  cannot 
wonder  that  his  efforts  proved  successful, 
when  the  Lord  opened  the  hearts  of  so  many 
to  assist  him. 

The  blessing  which  Francke  seems  to  have 
esteemed  as  highly,  if  not  more  so  than  any 
other,  was,  that  he  had  been  favoured  with 
assistants  and  labourers,  who  looked  upon 
the  work  with  something  of  his  own  feelings. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  135 

Without  such  men  he  would  have  been  unable 
to  carry  on  this  enterprise.  In  speaking  of 
them  he  says,  that  they  were  men  of  self- 
denial,  faith,  and  prayer,  who  did  not  expend 
their  time  and  labour,  merely  for  the  sake  of 
reward,  but  considered  themselves  as  serving 
the  Lord,  and  doing  good  to  man. 

By  such  co-operation  and  under  the  su- 
perintending providence  of  that  God,  who 
provided  this  and  every  means  employed, 
the  Orphan  House  was  finished.  During 
Francke's  life,  it  continued  to  increase  in 
extent,  and  in  the  number  of  the  children 
supported  and  instructed  in  it,  so  that  in 
1727,  the  year  that  he  died,  there  were  in  all 
the  schools  two  thousand  two  hundred  pupils. 
One  hundred  and  thirty  four  orphans  lived  in 
the  Orphan  House,  and  about  a  hundred  and 
^ixty  other  children,  together  with  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  indigent  students,  daily  ate  at 
the  public  tables  of  the  establishment,  with- 
out charge. 

Does  any  one  inquire  "  with  what  feelings 
did  Francke  regard  this  great  work  now  in 
successful  operation?"  We  will  give  the 
answer  in  his  own  words :  "  Why  should  I 


136  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE* 

not  give  all  the  honour  of  this  work  to  God, 
and  acknovt  ledge  that  the  praise  of  its  suc- 
cess belongs  not  to  me,  nor  any  other  worm 
of  the  dust,  but  to  Him  who  rules  on  high, 
and  who  is  the  King  of  kings  ?  It  is  He,  and 
He  alone  who  has  sustained  it,  even  from  the 
beginning.  He  has  enabled  me,  his  dependent 
creature,  to  rely  on  his  support,  and  not  on 
the  help  of  man,  and  thus  become  the  instru- 
ment of  accomplishing  so  much.  Upon  him 
has  my  soul  rested,  to  him  have  I  looked  in 
times  of  trial,  and  I  have  found  by  experience, 
that  he  will  not  desert,  nor  put  to  shame  those 
who  trust  in  liuii.  But  so  far  from  looking 
upon  this  as  my  work,  when  the  thought  has 
entered  my  mind,  that  it  was  I  who  had  built 
the  Orphan  House,  I  who  fed  the  poor,  and 
educated  the  ignorant,  I  have  banished  it 
from  me  as  a  temptation  of  Satan.  It  would 
have  been  truly  foolish  in  me,  when  I  saw 
hundreds  at  our  tables  daily,  to  have  in- 
dulged the  thought  that  I  was  supporting 
them.  I  have  often  smiled,  when  people 
have  said  in  my  hearing,  that  I  must  be  very 
rich  to  support  this  vast  establishment,  when 
I  was  indeed  poorer  than  the  most  of  them. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  137 

The  Lord  has  taught  me  what  the  scriptures 
mean,  when  they  say,  '  The  eyes  of  all  wait 
on  thee,  and  thou  givest  them  their  meat  in 
due  season;  thou  openest  thy  hand  and  satis- 
fiest  the  wants  of  every  living  thing.'  He 
has  led  me  in  a  way  that  I  knew  not  of,  and 
made  this,  from  so  small  a  beginning,  a  most 
extensive  work,  supplying  every  necessary 
means  at  every  stage  of  its  progress.  He 
has  done  for  me  more  than  I  could  even  have 
imagined  :  to  Him  therefore  I  attribute  all 
the  success,  and  to  him  shall  be  all  the 
praise." 

We  doubt  not  the  circumstances  narrated 
in  this  chapter,  will  be  considered  by  many, 
as  almost  passing  belief.  They  will  be  dis- 
posed to  say  that  they  approach  too  much  to 
a  miraculous  character,  to  have  happened  to 
an  uninspired  man.  They  are  indeed  extra- 
ordinary, and  calculated  to  excite  emotions 
of  wonder ;  but  the  authorities  by  which  they 
are  confirmed,  are  of  unquestionable  veracity, 
and  will  satisfy  every  candid  inquirer,  that 
they  are  sijnpic  and  undisguised  facts. 

But  the  question  will  still  be  asked  by 
many,  "  Can  such  an  example  be  held  up  as 
m2 


138  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

proper,  for  our  imitation  ?"  Would  not  the 
feeling,with  which  one  should  undertake  so  ex- 
tensive a  work  as  the  building  of  the  Orphan 
House,  without  any  funds  in  hand,  or  any 
human  source  from  which  to  draw,  be  rather 
rashness  and  credulity,  than  faith  ?" 

We  should  answer, — not,in  the  circumstances 
of  Francke.  It  is  to  be  carefully  noted,  that 
he  did  not  commence  this  extensive  plan  at 
once.  Years  had  elapsed,  since  he  had  first 
entered  upon  his  benevolent  work,  and  during 
that  time,  he  had  been  gradually  led  forward 
by  a  gracious  Providence,  who  supplied  the 
means,  and  pointed  out  the  path  in  which  he 
should  go,  in  a  way  surprising  even  to  him- 
self. These  striking  and  continued  expres- 
sions of  the  Divine  approbation,  each  suc- 
ceeding one,  more  clear  than  that  which 
preceded,  seem  to  have  fixed  in  the  mind 
of  Francke,  the  conviction,  that  tJie  work  was 
of  God,  and  would  not  come  to  naught*  He 
was  prepared,  by  this  conviction,  to  take  any 
step  which  was  indicated  as  the  will  of  that 
Providence,  to  whose  guidance  he  committed 
all  his  ways  ;  and  when  he  had  taken  such  a 
step,  he  believed  that  God  would  not  desert 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  139 

a  work,  which  he  had  so  far  evidently  ap- 
proved and  blessed.  That  he  acted  properly 
in  this  case,  may  be  fairly  inferred  from  his 
success.  That  he  was  far  from  counte- 
nancing that  rash  and  enthusiastic  calcula- 
ting upon  the  assistance  of  Heaven,  which 
some  have  done,  and  met  thereby  a  sad  over- 
throw, may  be  gathered  from  the  advice 
which  he  frequently  gave  his  pupils,  "  never, 
under  the  pretext  of  faith  in  God,  to  engage  in 
undertakings,  or  place  themselves  in  dangers, 
where  there  was  no  clearly  marked  call  of 
Providence :  but  with  '  their  loins  girt  about,' 
to  wait  the  directions  of  their  master,  both 
where,  and  how  they  should  labour." 


140  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Departments  of  the  Orphan  House — Its  extent — Method 
of  Instruction  pursued. 

The  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  poor 
was,  of  course,  the  main  object  of  the  institu- 
tion at  its  commencement ;  but  various  cir- 
cumstances conspired  to  connect  with  the 
charity  schools,  others,  for  those  who  were 
able  and  willing  to  pay  for  their  tuition. 
We  have  already  mentioned  the  "Royal 
School,"  or  "  Royal  Pedagogium,"  so  called, 
because  endowed  by  the  king.  It  was  in- 
tended for  the  children  of  the  higher  classes, 
and  had  a  building,  in  connection  with  the 
Orphan  House,  which  was  appropriated  to  its 
pupils  and  teachers.  Mention  has  been  made 
too  of  the  "  citizen's  school,"  or  Gymnasium, 
in  which  the  orphan  children,  of  the  best  capa- 
city and  those  of  the  citizens,  were  instructed 
preparatory  to  the  University.  Besides  these 
two,  there  were  several  other  departments, 
in  which  the  children  who  were  intended  for 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  141 

business  of  any  kind,  (by  far  the  greater 
number  were  of  this  class,)  received  their 
education.  The  "Teachers'  Seminary,"  and 
"The  Oriental  Society,*'  the  members  of 
which  lived  in  the  Orphan  House,  are  also  to 
be  enumerated  among  the  schools. 

From  the  small  stock  of  medicines  which 
it  was  found  convenient  to  keep  in  the  Orphan 
House,  arose  the  idea  of  an  apothecary's 
shop,  which  was  begun  as  early  as  1698.  This 
store  soon  became  extensive  and  important, 
on  account  of  the  manufacture  of  a  very  po- 
pular medicine,  the  receipt  for  which  was  given 
to  Francke  by  a  friend.''  The  income  of  this 
establishment  alone,  was  at  one  time  about 
thirty  thousand  rix  dollars ;  it  has,  however, 
very  much  diminished,  since  the  medicine 
above  mentioned  has  fallen  into  disuse.  It 
would  seem  that  the  providence  of  God  had 
provided  that  means  of  support  for  the  Or- 
phan House,  when  its  friends  began  to  look 
upon  the  institution  as  able  to  take  care  of 
itself,  and  to  cease  their  donations. 

Another  important  department,  is  the 
"Book-store."  This  owed  its  origin  to  a 
pious,  and   self-denying  friend  of  Francke, 

«  Fr.  Richter,  M.  D. 


142  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

who  printed,  by  some  means,  a  sermon  which 
Francke  had  written,  and  sold  it,  although  it 
was  the  cause  of  much  contempt  to  him,  in 
the  fair  at  Leipzig.  Encouraged  by  his  suc- 
cess in  this  effort,  he  obtained  a  small  print- 
ing press,  which  he  set  up  in  the  parsonage 
house  at  Glaucha,  and  there  commenced  the 
printing  of  larger  works.  The  divine  blessing 
attended  these  benevolent  exertions,  which 
were  undertaken  solely  for  the  advantage  of 
the  Orphan  House ;  and  from  this  beginning, 
arose  the  Orphan-house  Book-store,  one  of 
the  most  extensive  in  Germany,  and  a  source 
of  considerable  revenue  to  the  institution. 

There  are  also  connected  with  the  Orphan 
House,  a  library,  of  upwards  of  twenty  thou- 
sand volumes,  a  Museum  of  natural  science, 
and  a  chemical  Laboratory,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  schools. 

The  celebrated  "Canstein*  Bible  Establish- 
ment," has  its  location  in  the  Orphan  House. 
This  w^as  founded  by  the  Baron  Canstein, 
with  the  design  of  sending  abroad  through 
Europe  the  word  of  God,  by  printing  it  so 
cheaply,  that  every  one  could  buy  it.  Francke 
undertook  the  direction  of  this  establishment, 

*  Baron  Canstein. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  143 

at  the  earnest  request  of  its  founder,  and  con- 
tinued it  until  his  death,  although  attended 
with  no  profit  either  to  him  or  the  Orphan 
House.  It  has  been  the  means  of  circulating 
two  millions  of  Bibles,  and  one  million  of 
New  Testaments.  There  are  some  other  de- 
partments in  the  Orphan  House  of  minor  im- 
portance, which  do  not  need  especial  notice. 

The  buildings  connected  with  the  main 
edifice  which  Francke  erected,  consist,  at  the 
present  time,  of  a  number  sufficient  to  fill 
both  sides  of  a  court  eight  hundred  feet  long, 
reaching  from  that  edifice,  which  faces  the 
street,  to  the  one  which  is  occupied  by  the 
Royal  School,  which  closes  the  other  end  of 
the  court. 

This  vast  establishment  took  its  rise  from 
the  small  sum  of  about  three  dollars  and  a 
half,  which  was  providentially  put  into  the 
hands  of  Francke!  We  cannot  but  admire 
the  perseverance  and  faith,  which  enabled 
him  to  go  on  so  steadily  and  so  rapidly  to  a 
consummation  which  far  exceeded  his  most 
sanguine  expectations;  and  we  ought  not  to 
withhold  the  expression  of  praise  to  God 
for  the  strong  assurance  which  this  success 


144  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

gives  U3,  that  He  will  ever  bless  efibrta 
humbly  and  faithfully  made  for  the  glory  of 
his  name.  The  Orphan  House  has  been 
the  means  of  educating  and  sending  forth 
multitudes  of  excellent  men,  who  have  been 
blessings  to  the  world;  and  yet  it  is  all  to 
be  traced,  under  God,  to  the  influence  of  one 
individual.  May  the  reader  be  led  "to  go 
and  do  likewise !" 

It  might  be  supposed  that  whatever  the 
world  and  the  enemies  of  Francke  might 
think  and  say  of  his  doctrines,  they  could  not 
but  applaud  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Orphan 
House.  But  it  was  far  otherwise ;  his  ene- 
mies could  not  bear  the  idea  that  he  should 
be  the  means  of  doing  so  much  good — he, 
whom  they  denounced  as  a  fanatic  and  a 
hypocrite.  On  this  account,  they  used  every 
means  to  decry  and  injure  this  most  excellent 
institution.  The  common  slanders  on  in- 
stitutions of  Christian  benevolence  in  the  pre- 
sent day,  are  very  like  those  which  the  noble- 
minded  and  generous  Francke  endured. 
They,  however,  have  passed  away  with  the 
«iuthors  of  them,  while  the  effects  of  his  faith- 
ful labours  continue  a  standing  monument  of 


MExMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE.  145 

his  piety  and  zeal.  We  have  not  time  to 
specify  half  the  malignant  and  disgraceful 
falsehoods  that  were  circulated  concerning 
him;  a  few  of  them  will  be  brought  into 
notice,  in  some  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  he  replied  to  them.  He  says,  in  the 
beginning  of  this  reply,  that  the  only  reason 
he  can  imagine  for  their  desiring  to  convince 
the  people  that  the  providence  of  God  had 
not  prospered  his  efforts,  was  their  fear  that 
they  would  not  join  with  them  in  denouncing 
him,  whom  God  had  so  favoured,  as  a  heretic 
and  fanatic.  "  Just  as  Scribes  and  Pharisees," 
said  he,  "  feared  that,  should  they  acknow- 
ledge any  thing  divine  in  the  power  of  our 
Saviour  and  his  Apostles,  the  people  would 
say  to  them,  '  why  then  do  you  treat  them  as 
deceivers,  if  God  be  with  them  V  Not  that  I 
would  compare  myself  with  our  Lord,  or  his 
disciples,  being  unworthy  even  to  loose  the 
latchet  of  their  shoes ;  but  to  show  that  they 
resemble  the  Pharisees,  in  attempting  to  de- 
fame an  institution,  which  is  so  manifestly  of 
God  (if  it  be  not,  it  will  come  to  nought)  that 
they  may  thus  prejudice  the  minds  of  men 
against  me.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  care 

N 


146  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

not  for  all  their  censures.  I  have  one  short 
argument  which  answers  them  all.  It  is 
this : — No  one  that  trusts  in  the  Lord  shall 
be  confounded — but  I  believe  and  trust  in 
Him — therefore  I  shall  not  be  confounded. 
No  scorn,  which  they  use  so  abundantly,  will 
avail  against  this  argument.**  There  is  one 
singular  argument  which  they  make  use  of. 
They  say  that  I  have  been  very  active  in 
soliciting  contributions  for  the  Orphan 
House.  They  do  not  pretend  that  this  was 
wrong:  they  design  only  to  show  that  my  own 
labour  might  have  accomplished  all,  and  of 
course  there  would  be  no  need  of  any  divine 
interference.  But  is  it  less  the  effect  of  His 
providence,  because  I  have  been  the  means 
of  its  execution?  Did  not  the  Apostle  Paul 
ascribe  the  contributions  made  for  the  saints, 
at  his  suggestion,  to  the  hand  of  the  Lord  ? 
And  ought  not  the  same  to  be  done  in  this 
case,  especially  since  in  a  multitude  of  cases, 
persons  whom  I  did  not  know,  and  who 
would  not  even  mention  their  names,  have 
continued  for  years  to  give  to  this  work  ? 
Who  was  it  that  caused  the  feelings  of  be- 
nevolence and  pity,  to  conquer  the  natural 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  147 

avarice  of  man,  in  reference  to  this  effort, 
when  so  many  similar  ones  have  failed  for 
want  of  funds  ?  **  It  is  very  easy  to  find  fault. 
But  were  those  who  do  it  so  freely  in  this 
case,  to  undertake  only  to  provide  food  for 
those  who  daily  depend  on  me,  not  to  men- 
tion the  various  other  expenses  to  be  sus- 
tained, they  would  speak  very  differently; 
they  would  be  ashamed  of  their  conduct  to- 
wards me.  Were  they  to  have  no  other 
resources  than  I  have  had,  and  b^  compelled 
to  wait  till  God  should  please  to  send  the 
necessary  funds  for  our  daily  wants,  they 
would  probably  soon  desert  their  post. 
Against  all  the  difficulties  of  the  work  I 
have  struggled  for  years  ;  and  although  un- 
belief derided  the  idea  of  success,  saying,  that 
various  things  were  wanting: ;  that  I  had  not 
capital,  &c.,  yet  the  work  is  done.  Now  the 
common  saying  is,  that  my  own  ingenuity 
and  zeal  have  carried  it  through.  At  first 
they  denied  that  I  could  accomplish  any  such 
scheme;  and  now  that  it  is  done,  they  say  I 
did  it  all !" 

Many  others  gave  utterance  to  their  en- 
i.-^ity  to  Francke,  in  such  complaints  as  these: 


148  3IEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

"  The  Orphan  House  is  too  large — after  it  is 
built  the  children  will  starve,  for  want  of  funds 
to  support  such  an  institution — Francke  is 
laying  up  a  fortune  for  himself,  from  the 
charities  of  the  public— he  has  neglected  per- 
sonal piety,  in  being  so  constantly  and  ac- 
tively employed."  How  groundless  they  were, 
need  hardly  be  stated.  Nothing  of  this  kind 
seems  to  have  given  him  more  pain,  than 
the  impression  which  was  so  general,  among 
certain  classes,  that  he  was  very  rich  and 
growing  daily  more  so;  so  tliat  often,  even 
when  in  distress  for  money,  he  was  applied  to 
by  beggars,  Vvlio  shamelessly  asked  him  for 
large  sums,  as  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  and  who,  when  assured  that  he  had  none 
to  give  them,  often  turned  and  reviled  him. 
But  he  endured  all  as  "  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  and  the  Lord  constantly  increased 
the  number  of  his  friends,  and  gave  him  to 
rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  the  Orphan  House. 
It  is  interesting  to  contemplate  this  great 
and  good  man,  in  the  capacity  of  a  teacher 
of  children.  He  seems  to  have  had  a  pecu- 
liar love  for  them,  and  a  happy  faculty  of  in- 
structing them.    He  did  not,  of  course,  find 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  1^9 

time  to  do  any  thing  more,  than  superintend 
their  schools,  except  in  the  department  of  re- 
ligious instruction.  This  he  made  the  grand 
object  of  attention ;  the  cultivation  of  the 
moral  feelings  of  the  pupils  was  esteemed  of 
paramount  importance.  To  promote  this, 
he  used  to  catechise  them,  by  the  assistance 
of  their  teachers,  and  to  address  them  on  the 
great  truths  of  religion,  in  language  suited  to 
their  capacity. 

He  took  care  to  appoint  such  teachers  as 
would  set  a  holy  example  before  them,  and 
used  every  other  means  to  bring  them  to  a 
saving  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ.  Among 
these,  was  that  of  distributing  among  them, 
at  the  time  of  their  examinations,  which  took 
place  four  times  a  year,  tracts  on  practical 
subjects,  written  expressly  for  them. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  two  of 
them,  on  the  subjects  of  repentance  and  love 
to  God.  We  should  be  glad  to  infuse  into 
our  paraphrase  of  these  passages,  more  of  the 
pathos  of  the  original. — "Attend  to  my  words, 
dear  children  !  Attend  to  the  word  which  is 
spoken  to  you  from  God  !  Now,  before  your 
hearts  are  seduced  by  the  world,  while  you 
n2 


150  MEMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE. 

are  in  the  morning  of  life,  pray  God  to 
implant  his  love  within  you,  and  to  make 
you  humble,  and  obedient,  and  holy.  Ask 
him  so  to  impress  his  fear  upon  your  minds, 
that  you  may  be  enabled  to  keep  his  com- 
mandments all  your  days.  Remember  that 
it  often  brings  a  fearful  curse  upon  men,  to 
neglect  God  in  their  youth,  and  to  follow 
after  the  desires  of  the  flesh,  and  give  them- 
selves up  to  the  pleasures  of  the  world.  You 
may  now  think  it  would  be  happiness  itself, 
to  live  in  the  indulgence  of  all  your  wishes ; 
but  a  time  will  come,  when  you  will  think 
very  differently,  and  when  you  will  know 
what  misery  he  must  suffer  who  disobeys 
God.  See  to  it  then,  dear  children,  that  you 
repent  from  the  heart,  and  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Then  will  your  happiness  be  se- 
cure." *  *  On  the  subject  of  love  to  God, 
he  then  addresses  them,  in  one  place  : — 

"  Do  any  of  you  now  ask  me,  '  What  is 
the  love  of  God  V  I  reply,  that  it  is  of  such  a 
nature,  that  it  must  be  felt,  in  order  to  be  un- 
derstood. If  I  say  to  you  this  love  is  a  de- 
lightful feeling,  which  fills  the  soul,  still  you 
would  not  comprehend  my  meaning  until  you 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  151 

had  yourself  tasted  its  sweetness.  *  *  The 
love  of  God  m  your  hearts,  is  the  fruit  of  the 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which  you 
are  inclined  to  look  upon  God  as  your  high- 
est good,  to  feel  a  sincere  and  ardent  longing 
after  him,  to  seek  your  pleasure,  and  your 
peace  in  Him ;  to  endeavour  to  please  him, 
to  strive  to  be  united  to  him,  that  you  may 
have,  as  the  scripture  says,  the  same  mind 
with  him.  Now  if  you  reflect  upon  this,  you 
must  see  that  love  to  God  is  a  thing  of  great 
value,  and  very  different  from  the  love  of  the 
world  *  *  If  you  ask  how  you  may  ob- 
tain this  love;  I  answer,  that  the  love  of 
God  to  you,  is  the  fountain  of  all  your  love 
to  him.  To  know  how  to  value  his  love, 
you  must  consider  his  infinite  mercy  in  send- 
ing his  Son  to  die  for  sinners.  If  you  will 
think  of  this  wonderful  love  to  you,  you  will 
see  how  reasonable  it  is,  that  you  should 
love  him,  and  how  wicked  it  must  be  to  turn 
away  from  God,  who  has  been  kinder  than  a 
father  to  you. 

Think  not,  however,  that  you  will  love  him 
of  yourselves.  This  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  without  whose  influences,  your  own 


152  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

efforts,  your  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  your 
thinking  on  the  love  of  God  to  you,  will  be 
without  effect.  You  must  feel  your  need  of 
new  feelings,  and  desires,  and  ask  earnestly  for 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  implant  that  love  in  your 
hearts,  and  lead  you  in  the  right  way,  so  that 
you  may  be  able  to  look  up  to  God  as  your 
father,  and  friend.  You  may  possibly  sup- 
pose, that  love  to  God  consists  in  a  good 
emotion  or  desire,  which  you  may  sometimes 
feel,  especially  when  you  pray,  and  that  after 
this  you  may  sin  again.  But  this,  dear 
children,  is  not  love.  Love  is  constant  and 
unchanging,  and  is  to  be  discovered  by  your 
obedience  to  God,  and  your  patience  under 
trials,  rather  than  by  your  feelings.  Think 
of  this  then,  my  children !  When  you  are 
obedient  to  your  parents ;  when  you  love  to 
read  the  word  of  God  and  to  pray;  when  you 
love  them  who  hate  you ;  when  you  pray  for 
them  who  injure  you  ;  when  you  are  jealous 
and  envious  of  no  one;  when  you  love  to  be  told 
of  your  faults,  and  try  daily  to  correct  them  ; 
when  you  feel  and  act  thus,  it  is  a  sign  that 
you  love  God.  *  *  This  love  you  must  strive 
constantlv    to   retain   and   increase.      Your 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  153 

heart  is  deceitful  and  wicked,  far  beyond  any 
thing  that  you  think,  and  will  incline  you  to 
seek  the  pleasures,  and  follow  the  temptations 
of  the  world.  You  must  constantly  look  up 
to  your  father  in  Heaven,  for  his  aid  to  en- 
able you  to  command  your  feelings,  control 
your  desires,  and  direct  them  in  the  right  way. 

"May  Jesus  Christ,  the  well-beloved  Son 
of  God,   have  mercy   upon  each  of   you! 
May  he  purify  you  by  his  Spirit,  and  give 
you  true  faith  in  him!    Should  you  be  thus 
renewed,  it  will  be  my  rejoicing,  not  only 
in  this  life,  but  in  the  great  day  of  account. 
Oh  !  that  I  may  be  able  in  that  day,  to  say 
of  each  of  you  here  present,  and  of  all  who 
have  gone  before,  and  will  come  after  you  ; 
"  Here  am  I,  Lord,  and  the  children  whom 
thou  hast  given  me."    He  is  your  Lord.    He 
has  died  for  you.     I  commit  you  into  the 
arms  of  his  love,  and  to  his  mercy,  which  is 
past  all  conception  !" 

We  cannot  wonder  that  labouring  as  he 
did,  the  numbers  of  those  who  became,  under 
the  blessing  of  God,  pious  and  devoted  men, 
should  be  great.  The  Spirit  of  God  usually 
seconds  efforts  so  faithfully  made,  and  en- 


154  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

ables  us  to  understand,  to  some  extent,  the  im- 
portance of  faithful  instruction  to  children. 

In  closing  this  necessarily  limited  account 
of  the  Orphan  House,  it  may  be  interesting 
to  the  reader  to  state,  that  this  institution  is 
at  this  time  flourishing,  and  still  doing  a  great 
deal  of  good.  It  has,  in  the  course  of  time, 
accumulated  considerable  property,  by  the 
proceeds  of  which,  and  of  the  mercantile  de- 
partments, it  supports  itself  without  the  as- 
sistance of  individuals.  Its  schools  are  still 
large,  and  the  orphan  and  widow  both  find 
a  refuge  within  its  hospitable  walls.  The 
founder  is  not  forgotten  in  the  midst  of  all  its 
usefulness.  His  birth  day  is  yearly  celebrated 
at  the  Orphan  House ;  and  on  sKch  occasions 
the  excellences  of  his  character  are  made  the 
subject  of  eloquent  addresses,  and  thus  im- 
pressed upon  the  minds  of  each  succeeding 
company  of  youth,  who  feel  the  benefits  of 
his  benevolence. 

"The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 
Better  to  have  such  an  eulogy  as  is  contained 
in  the  history  of  the  Orphan  House,  than  to 
be  the  conquerer  of  the  world!  Better  to  be 
embalmed,  as  Francke,  in  the  grateful  recol- 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAXCKK.  155 

lection  of  thousands,  than  to  sleep  under  the 
proudest  monument  that  has  ever  covered  the 
remains  of  earthly  greatness ! 


CHAPTER  IX. 
His  private  lAfe — Labours  in  behalf  of  Missions. 

We  have  thus  far  regarded  Francke  al- 
most entirely  as  a  public  character.  We 
would  now  willingly  contemplate  his  private 
life,  and  set  him  before  the  reader  in  the  re- 
lations of  husband,  father,  and  friend.  This 
will,  however,  be  impossible,  as  but  a  few 
facts  have  been  preserved,  which  throw  any 
light  upon  this  part  of  his  history.  His  pub- 
lic employments  and  duties,  were  alone  no- 
ticed by  his  early  biographers,  and  time  has 
now  drawn  its  veil  over  the  interesting  scene 
of  his  family  circle. 

He  married,  about  the  time  of  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  professorship  at  Halle,  an  amiable 
and  pious  lady,  with  whom  he  lived  in  the 
happiest  manner,  until  his  death.  He  had 
three  children.    Of  these,  the  first  died  in  in- 


156  MEMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE. 

fancy;  the  second  lived,  and  followed  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father ;  became  a  professor  of 
Theology,  arch-deacon  of  the  Church  of  St. 
Mary  in  Halle,  and  director  of  the  Orphan 
House.  The  youngest  child,  a  daughter,  was 
married  to  the  learned  and  excellent  Freling- 
hausen,  some  of  whose  descendants  are  still 
living  at  Halle.  One  of  them,  Dr.  Niemeier, 
was  lately  Chancellor  of  the  University, 
and  a  Director  of  the  Orphan  House,  and  the 
institutions  connected  with  it. 

The  habits  of  Francke,  as  must  have 
appeared,  from  the  amount  of  labour  he  ac- 
complished, were  those  of  intense  exertion. 
Scarcely  any  one  department  in  which  he 
laboured,  would  not  be  considered  by  most 
men  as  sufficient  of  itself  He  was,  in  the 
first  place,  a  pastor  of  a  church :  and  though 
after  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  pro- 
fessorship, he  had  one  or  more  assistants  in 
these  labours,  still  they  were  considerable. 
As  a^  professor,  we  have  seen  that  he  did 
his  full  share  of  labour.  As  founder  of  the 
Orphan  House,  he  was  almost  constantly 
engaged  in  some  way  or  other.  How  he 
found  time,  in  the  midst  of  all  this,  to  write  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  FR.\NCKE.  1^^ 

volume  a  year,  besides  frequent  sermons  and 
tracts,  even  with  the  assistance  of  a  secre- 
tary, is  surprising  indeed;  and  it  becomes 
still  more  so,  when  we  remember  that  he  re- 
ceived frequent  visitors,  and  had  a  large  cor- 
respondence. 

He  was  frugal  in  diet,  sparing  in  sleep,  and 
constant  in  devotion.     We  mean  by  this, 
that  he  obeyed  the  scripture  rule  of  "  praymg 
always,"  or  in  other  words,  preserving  al- 
ways a  prayerful  state  of  mind.   Besides  this, 
he  spent  the  first  hour  of  every  day  in  private 
devotion ;  and  when  travelling,  he  used  to 
arise  at  four  o'clock  for  this  purpose,  that 
his  devotions  might  not  be  curtailed.     After 
this,  he  began  the  appropriate  business  of 
the  day.     His  first  thoughts,  as  he  himself 
states,\vere  commonly  directed  to  the  value 
of  time— and  his  first  desires  to  be  enabled 
to  live  every  day,  as  though  it  were  the  first 
and  last  day  of  his  life— the  first,  as  if  be- 
ginning anew,  and  with  new  vig.our  to  serve 
the  Lord;  and  the  last,  as  though  no  time 
would  be  allowed  to  him  here  to  perform 
what  he  now  neglected,  or  to  amend  that 
which  he  hastily  performed. 


158  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

The  value  he  set  upon  time  may  be  farther 
learned  from  a  short  extract  from  one  of  his 
lectures,  in  which  he  requests  the  students  to 
make  their  necessary  visits  to  him  as  short 
as  possible.  "I  have  not  time  to  converse 
long  with  each  of  my  visitors;  I  can  truly 
say,  that  when  I  devote  an  hour  of  my  life  to 
any  one,  I  feel  that  I  have  made  him  a  large 
present,  for  an  hour  is  worth  more  to  me, 
than  much  money."  He  refers  not  here  to 
those  who  needed  his  advice,  and  who  re- 
mained no  longer  than  necessary,  but  to  those 
who  came  without  any  especial  business,  or 
who  tarried  long  after  it  had  been  completed. 

The  little  we  know  of  his  deportment  in 
the  family  circle,  is  contained  in  an  extract 
of  a  letter  from  a  friend  of  his,  who  lived  in 
his  house.  "  At  our  table,"  says  he,  "  the 
conversation  was  always  profitable;  Francke 
never  suffered  the  subject  to  be  trivial,  nor 
did  he  give  us  opportunity,  (if  so  inclined,) 
to  wander  from  one  thing  to  another;  but 
employed  the  time  either  in  communicating 
interesting  intelligence  in  reference  to  the 
church,  or  engaged  us  in  conversation  on 
some  practical  topic.     Sometimes  he  caused 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  15^ 

his  little  grandchildren  to  read  a  passage 
from  scripture  for  each  of  us  who  sat  at  the 
table.  Thus  were  our  eating  and  drinking 
sanctified.  In  his  house,  peace  and  quiet- 
ness reigned;  there  was  no  noise  there,  no 
anger,  no  bitterness,  no  evil  speaking.  AH 
the  domestic  virtues  were  in  lively  exercise, 
and  the  direction  of  the  Apostle  seemed  to  be 
fully  obeyed,  "  Whether  ye  eat  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of 

God." 

It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  his 
correspondence  was  extensive.   So  numerous 
were  the  letters  which  he  was  compelled  to 
write,  that  he  found  it  necessary  sometimes 
to  devote  to  them  that  time  which  should 
have  been  spent  in  rest.     Not  unfrequently 
his  time  was  so  much  occupied  during  the 
day,  that  he  was  not  able  to  commence  his 
writing  until  after  nine  o'clock  at  night.     It 
IS  much  to  be  regretted,  that  his  biographers 
have  preserved  so  few  of  his  letters,  inasmuch 
as  a  character  like  his  must  have  appeared 
to  peculiar  advantage  in  his  epistolary  inter- 
course. 

The  following  letter  written  in  his  old  age 


160  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

to  a  friend  in  France,  will  give  us  some  idea 
of  the  style  of  them.  It  is  in  reply  to  a  letter 
in  which  he  was  informed  that  his  writings 
were  much  esteemed  by  a  Catholic  abbot  at 
Paris,  to  whom  they  had  been  useful. 

"Though  I  would  not,"  says  he,  "  be  puf- 
fed up  on  account  of  his  respect  for  me,  yet 
it  gives  me  real  pleasure;  and  especially  when 
I  know  that  it  rests  not  upon  any  external 
advantages  or  dignity  of  mine,  but  simply 
upon  the  few  of  my  writings  that  he  has  read. 
It  gives  me  much  satisfaction  to  know  that 
what  I  have  written  concerning  Christ,  has 
pleased  and  cciiiied  him.  I  am  encouraged 
to  hope,  that  by  the  blessing  of  God,  I  shall 
in  his  case  attain  the  great  object  of  my  de- 
sire and  labour,  to  wit,  that  Christ  may  be 
glorified.  I  count  it  the  greatest  happiness 
of  my  life,  to  be  made  useful  to  the  souls  of 
men,  in  bringing  them  to  a  saving  knowledge 
of  the  Redeemer.  *  *  Your  information  with 
regard  to  the  abbot  Ferrus,  encourages  me 
to  hope  that  the  prayers  which  I  have  offered 
for  him,  will  be  heard  on  high,  and  that  in 
the  great  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  may  be 
permitted  to  present  him  as  one  of  my  spi- 


ME3IOIR5  OF  FRANCKE.  161 

ritual  children.  Give  to  him  the  assurance 
of  my  sincere  love  for  him,  and  that  I  will 
not  cease  to  pray  for  him  as  long  as  I  live. 
Say  to  him,  that  I  exhort  him,  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  to  trust  in  Him  alone  for  salvation, 
and  to  pray  to  him  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  a 
seal  of  the  new  birth.  Exhort  him  to  be 
instant  in  prayer,  even  though  the  answer 
may  be  long  delayed.  He  will  find,  that 
none  who  wait  upon  the  Lord,  will  be  put  to 
shame.  Say  to  him,  that  the  words  of  our 
Lord  to  Martha, '  Said  I  not  to  thee,  if  thou 
wouldest  believe,  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory 
of  God,'  have  often  strengthened  me.  I  have 
kept  them  in  my  mind  in  the  midst  of  trials, 
and  when  I  have,  in  obedience  to  them,  been 
believing  and  patient,  I  have  sooner  or  later 

received  an  answer  to  my  prayers Of  the 

wiUingness  of  God  to  hear  prayer,  I  have 
lately  had  a  remarkable  proof.  For  the  last 
two  years  my  health  had  been  bad,  and 
although  i  had  taken  many  remedies,  no- 
thing had  availed  to  restore  it.  Finally,  I 
pleaded  the  promise  of  the  Lord  that, '  if  ye 
abide  in  me,  and  my  word  abide  in  you,  ye 
shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 
o2 


<l- 


162  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

unto  you,'  and  besought  him,  if  it  were  his 
will,  to  restore  me  to  health.  This,  my 
prayer,  was  answered ;  and  so  rapidly  and 
unexpectedly  to  my  physicians,  that  they  said, 
a  higher  power  was  manifest  therein.  I  am 
now  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  almost  as  vigor- 
ous as  in  my  youth,  yet  I  do  not  perform  all 
my  accustomed  duties,  lest  I  should  destroy 
that  which  the  Lord  has  made  good,  or  dis- 
regard the  means  by  which  he  is  pleased  to 
continue  me  in  this  my  frail  tabernacle." 

Besides  the  other  numerous  labours  of 
Francke,  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
efficient  friends  of  missions  among  the  hea- 
then. About  the  year  1705,  he  was  applied 
to  by  tlie  King  of  Denmark,  (who  was  about 
sending  some  missionaries  to  India,  where  he 
had  some  settlements,)  to  select  from  among 
the  young  theologians  at  Halle,  some  suitable 
persons  to  undertake  the  important  work  of 
instructing  the  heathen.  Francke  chose,  in 
compliance  with  this  request,  Z>'egenbalg 
and  Plutschau,  who  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment, and  justified,  by  their  fidelity  in  their 
stations,  the  confidence  he  reposed  in  them. 
He  continued,  until  his  death,  to  appoint  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  163 

missionaries  who  went  out  from  Halle ;  he 
held  correspondence  with  them,  and  published . 
from  time  to  time,  accounts  of  their  labours 
and  successes.  His  influence  in  this  waj 
was  very  important;  for  had  these  early  mis- 
sionaries been  of  the  character,  which  most  of 
the  clergy  at  that  time  w^ould  have  chosen,  the 
enterprise  would,  beyond  doubt,  have  failed 
entirely.  He  took  an  active  part  too,  so  far 
as  he  had  opportunity,  in  the  measures  for 
enlightening  and  converting  the  Jews.  Few 
days  of  his  life  seem  to  have  been  more  de- 
lightful to  him,  than  that  on  which  some 
individuals  of  that  nation,  received  from  him 
christian  baptism,  in  his  church  at  Glaucha. 
These  facts  are  interesting,  principally, 
because  they  display  one  remarkable  trait  in 
his  character,  to  wit,  that  he  employed  every 
opportunity  for  doing  good,  and  that  "  what- 
soever his  hand  found  to  do,  he  did  it  with 
his  might." 


164 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


CHAPTER  X, 


His  latter  Years — Tours  for  the  restoration  of  his 
Health — His  Death, 

The  extraordinary  exertions,  bodily  and 
mental,  which  Francke  had  made  in  every 
place  in  which  he  lived  and  laboured,  began 
gradually  to  undermine  his  excellent  consti- 
tution, before  he  had  passed  the  meridian  of 
life.  About  the  year  1705,  his  health  had 
suffered  so  much  on  this  account,  as  well  as 
by  reason  of  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  Spener, 
to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  and  who 
died  about  that  time,  that  his  physicians  ad- 
vised him  to  travel.  This  introduced  him 
into  a  new  sphere  of  usefulness,  and  one 
which  he  did  not  neglect  to  employ,  for  the 
advancement  of  the  cause  of  truth  and  piety. 
He  preached  in  many  of  the  towns  through 
which  he  passed,  with  much  effect,  and  se- 
cured, by  his  truly  christian  demeanour,  many 
friends  to  himself,  and  his  institutions.  He 
returned  to  Halle,  after  a  tour  of  three  months 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRAiNXKE.  165 

through  Germany  and  Holland,  his  health  be- 
ing ahnost  entirely  restored. 

On  a  visit  which  he  made  to  Berlin,  not 
long  after  this,  happening  to  preach  in  the 
church  of  the  garrison,  he  was,  very  unexpect- 
edly to  himself,  favoured  with  the  presence  of 
the  King  of  Prussia.  The  manner  in  which 
he  declared  the  message  of  his  Master,  even 
in  the  presence  of  Royalty,  occasioned  an 
honourable  testimonial  to  his  fidelity.  The 
King  said  afterwards  in  the  presence  of  his 
court,  "  Francke  is  a  good  man:  he  speaks 
the  truth  to  every  body." 

About  the  year  1717,  his  health  again  re- 
quired a  relaxation  of  labour,  and  he  was 
advised  to  travel,  and  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. The  King  readily  granted  him  per- 
mission to  be  absent  from  his  post  during 
the  time  necessary,  and  he  set  off  in  August, 
accompanied  by  his  son,  his  faithful  friend 
and  fellow  labourer,  Neubauer,  and  his  aman- 
uensis, Koppen.  He  travelled  through  most 
of  the  southern  principalities  of  Germany, 
and  visited  most  of  the  principal  cities,  and 
institutions.  People  every  where  flocked  to 
see  the  man  who  had  attracted  so  much  at- 


166  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

tention  in  his  country.  In  most  places  he 
was  received  with  the  most  flattering  to- 
kens of  love  and  admiration.  He  was  im-' 
portuned  to  preach,  and  entertained  and  car- 
ried from  place  to  place,  free  of  expense.  In 
some  places  however  he  was  received  as  a 
dangerous  man,  and  the  greatest  disUke  and 
distrust  manifested  towards  him.  But  even 
from  such  places,  he  seldom  departed  without 
bearing  with  him  the  blessings  of  the  people. 
His  humility,  his  love,  and  his  sincerity  mani- 
fested in  his  preaching  and  conversation,  dis* 
armed  prejudice,  and  won  upon  every  heart. 
**  If  this  be  Pietism,"  said  many,  "  we  will  all 
be  Pietists;  for  such  were  Christ  and  his 
apostles!  If  this  be  the  Spirit  of  the  Orphan 
House  at  Halle,  who  will  not  rejoice  at  its 
establishment !" 

One  of  the  most  interesting  instances  of 
this  kind,  occurred  at  Ulm.  The  ministers 
of  this  city  were  not  at  all  inclined  to  treat 
him  even  hospitably,  and  especially  not  wil- 
ling to  open  their  pulpits  to  him.  He  went 
therefore  on  the  Sabbath,  as  a  hearer,  to  the 
Cathedral,  where  he  heard  a  most  bitter  ser- 
mon  against  the  Pietists,   and,  of  course, 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  167 

against  himself,  for  whom  indeed  it  was  in- 
tended. He  sat  directly  in  front  of  the  pul- 
pit, and  heard  it  all  with  the  greatest  com- 
posure. The  magistrate  of  the  city  was, 
however,  alarmed,  lest  it  should  come  to  the_^ 
ears  of  the  King,  that  one  of  the  most  emi- 
nent professors  of  his  University  at  Halle,'^ 
was  thus  openly  abused.  He  was  in  doubt 
what  to  do,  but  finally  concluded  to  request" 
Francke,  in  the  most  respectful  manner,  to 
preach  the  next  Sabbath  in  the  Cathedral."" 
He  consented.  The  house  was  crowded  to 
overflowing,  and  Francke,  making  no  allusion 
to  what  had  passed,  preached  a  sermon  upon 
faith  in  Christ.  This  was  returning  good  for 
evil,  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel;  and  it  suc- 
ceeded in  completely  silencing  all  opposition 
to  him.  As  a  farther  testimony  of  regard,  a 
great  entertainment  was  given  him  at  the  pub- 
lic expense,  and  the  youth  of  the  city  mani- 
fested their  feelings  towards  him,  by  a  torch 
procession J^   He  returned,  at  length,  to  Halle, 

*  This  method  of  expressing  feelings  of  respect,  is  not  un- 
common in  Germany.  Such  a  scene  is  described  by  Mr. 
Dwight,  in  his  travels  in  that  country.  After  mentioning  that  it 
was  intended  as  a  congratulation  of  Professor  Blunienbach,  of 
Gottingen,  upon  the  completion  of  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  profes- 


168  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCK^. 

on  the  first  of  April  1718,  much  improved  in 
health,  and  was  welcomed  with  expressions 
of  the  greatest  joy. 

In  1725,  he  was  attacked  with  a  painful 
and  tedious  disease,  from  which  he  was  never 
perfectly  relieved.  His  health  was  somewhat 
amended  by  an  excursion  which  he  took  the 
next  summer,  but  still  continued  feeble.  In 
November  of  the  same  year,  a  stroke  of  the 
palsy  lamed  his  left  hand,  and  rendered  him 
incapable  of  performing  any  active  duties. 
He  spent  the  time,  principally,  in  reading 
works  on  practical  piety,  and  especially  such 
as  treated  of  the  happiness  of  the  saints  in 
Heaven.  About  this  time,  he  was  deprived 
of  the  society  and  friendship  of  his  beloved 
Neubauer,  by  his  death.     Neubauer  had  de- 

eorship,  he  thus  proceeds.  "  The  students  arranged  themselves 
in  a  procession,  walking  two  and  two.  They  carried  burning- 
torches  of  about  four  feet  in  length,  and  marched  through  the  prin- 
cipal streets  of  the  city.  A  band  of  Music  preceded  them,  playing 
a  number  of  the  beautiful  airs  of  this  country,  until  they  came  op- 
posite to  the  professor's  house,  when  the  music  ceased,  and  they 

gave  him  three  cheers They  then  proceeded  beyond  the 

walls  of  the  city,  into  a  large  meadow,  and  threw  their  flaming 
torches  into  a  pile,  which  they  surrounded,  singing  a  song  of 
friendship  and  love.  As  Blumenbach  is  a  great  favourite  with 
the  students,  they  all  united  in  showing  him  this  token  of  their 
Jove."     Travels  in  the  North  of  Germany,  p.  81,  82. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 


169 


voted  himself  to  the  Orphan  House,  ahnost 
from  its  outset,  and  Francke  felt  his  loss 
most  sensibly,  both  on  account  of  himself 
and  the  institution ;  but  he  was  well  satisfied 
that  his  loss  was  his  friend's  eternal  gain.* 

The  next  winter  he  experienced  a  most 
unexpected  revival  of  his  strength,  (mentioned 
in  a  letter  in  chapter  viii.)  which  continued  so 
firm,  that  the  next  spring  he  gave  notice  of 
his  intention  to  begin  his  lectures  again,  with 
the  summer  session  of  the  University.  But 
he  never  delivered  any  except  the  first  one. 
He  spoke  with  his  usual  ease,  but  closed  the 
lecture  with  much  emotion,  by  a  benediction 
upon  his  hearers. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  he  partook  of  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper,  for  the  last 
time  in  his  church.  He  was  in  a  state  of 
great  bodily  weakness,  but  his  faith  and  love 
were  strong,  and  were  invigorated  by  the  de- 
lightful privileges  of  the  sanctuary. 

On  Saturday  of  the  same  week,  he  was 

*  The  following  was  Neubauer's  will — "  I  wish  to  be  buried 
without  parade.  Let  there  be  no  sermons,  nor  eulogies  for  me. 
I  was  born  at  Disdorf,  in  the  year  1666.  This,  and  the  time  of 
my  death,  is  enough  for  my  biography.  My  little  property  I 
give  to  my  mother." 

P 


170  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

carried  at  his  own  request  into  the  garden  of 
the  Orphan  House,  where,  as  if  in  anticipa- 
tion of  his  departure,  he  poured  forth  his  soul 
in  a  fervent,  and,  to  those  who  stood  around 
him,  most  impressive  prayer.  He  recounted 
therein  the  mercies  of  the  Lord,  almost  from 
his  childhood,  and  especially,  for  bringing 
him  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour.  "  Often" 
said  he,  "have  I  wandered  from  thee,  and 
sinned  against  thy  grace,  but  thou  hast  par- 
doned me,  restored  to  me  the  light  of  thy 
countenance,  and  given  me  new  strength  to 
follow  after  thee.  Thou  hast  sometimes  so 
filled  me  with  joy,  that  it  seemed  my  heart 
would  break.  Thou  hast  enabled  me  to 
make  a  covenant  engagement  to  be  thine, 
and  to  say,  "  Lord  be  thou  my  God,  and  I 
will  be  thy  servant,  and  thy  son."  He  then 
thanked  God  for  his  goodness,  in  making 
him  the  means  of  converting  men  to  him, 
and  prayed  most  fervently,  that  his  influence 
might  be  perpetuated  when  he  was  gone. 
He  thanked  the  Lord  for  the  Orphan  House, 
and  for  all  the  favours  attending  it.  "  Some- 
times," said  he,  "I  have  said  with  myself, 
'  how  long  will  these  thy  mercies  continue  V 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  171 

Still  thou  hast  opened  thy  hand  to  me.  When 
I  laid  down  at  night,  there  was  always  some 
favour  of  the  day  to  remember ;  and  when  I 
arose  in  the  morning,  still,  blessed  God,  thou 
hast  loaded  me  with  benefits,  and  hast  said 
to  me,  'Thou  shalt  yet  see  greater  things 
than  these.' "  He  then  prayed  for  all  his 
spiritual  children — for  a  little  book  which  he 
had  just  published — and  for  the  friends  who 
were  with  him — and  closed  by  making  men- 
tion of  the  name  of  Jesus,  as  the  ground  of 
confidence,  and  of  his  assurance  that  God 
would  hear  his  prayer  for  His  sake. 

The  next  day  his  disease  increased  in 
violence,  and  he  began  rapidly  to  decline. 
His  prayer  now  was,  that  God  would  teach 
him  not  only  to  labour,  but  to  suffer  accord- 
ing to  his  will,  and  in  such  a  way  as  would 
edify  those  around  him. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  in  the  midst  of 
very  severe  suffering,  he  said,  "  Those  who 
have  washed  their  garments,  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  came  out  of 
great  tribulation. — My  portion  of  afl[liction 
has  been  small  as  yet :  but  I  have  suflfered 
some  within  the  last  few  days,  and  may  yet 


172  MEMOIRS  OP  FRANCKE. 

be  one  of  those  who,  through  much  affliction, 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  My 
weakness  is  very  great:  help  thou  me,  oh  my 
Father." 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  the  heat  was 
very  oppressive,  and  he  suffered  much  from 
it.  "Oh  !  when  I  stand,"  said  he,  "  in  new 
vigour  in  the  heavenly  country,  at  the  resur- 
rection of  the  just,  the  heat  will  no  more  op- 
press me:"  and  afterwards,  as  his  disease 
continued  to  gain  ground,  "Lord,  we  will 
wait  on  thee,  until  thou  hast  mercy  upon 
us."  Towards  evening,  he  awoke  from  a 
troubled  sleep,  praying  thus,  "My  Saviour 
and  my  Lord,  with  what  joy  shall  I  behold 
thy  face!  I  thank  thee  for  thy  love  where- 
with thou  hast  loved  me,  even  when  dead  in 
sins.  Thou  art  my  confidence  and  my  rest. 
Thanks  be  to  thy  name,  that  thou  hast  given 
me  not  only  life,  but  all  things.  Without  thee 
we  possess  nothing — with  thee  all  things." 

During  the  night,  he  prayed  at  one  time, 
without  interruption  for  a  half  hour,  in  such 
language  as  this — "  I  would  praise  thee,  dear 
Saviour,  that  thou  hast  purified  me  from  sin, 
and  made  me  a  king  and  a  priest  unto  God. 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  1  t  .3 

I  would  bless  thee,  that  thou  hast  led  me, 
tlirough  life,  as  a  tender  mother  does  her  little 
child.  Oh!  forgive  me,  if  during  my  pains  1 
have  not  kept  my  will  completely  in  subjec- 
tion to  thine:  support  me  by  thy  power  even 
to  the  end.  I  know  that  thou  art  faithful! 
Thou  wilt  not  leave  nor  forsake  me;  thou 
wilt  raise  my  body  from  the  dust  again,  and 
I  shall  be  presented,  purified  and  adorned, 
before  thy  face  with  exceeding  joy!  How- 
glorious  and  how  happy  shall  I  be,  when  for 
the  first  time,  I  shall  behold  thy  blissful 
face!" — He  then  commended  the  Orphan 
House  to  God,  praying  that  it  might  be  the 
means  of  doing  much  good,  and  closed  his 
prayer,  by  committing  his  soul  into  the  hands 
of  the  Redeemer.  "Lord  Jesus,  to  thy  faith- 
ful hands  I  commit  my  soul.  Amen!  Amen  ! 
Hallelujah !" 

In  this  frame  of  mind,  which  breathed 
more  of  heaven  than  earth,  he  continued  to 
endure,  for  the  next  three  or  four  days,  the 
sufferings  which  were  wearing  away  his 
strength,  and  preparing  his  spirit  for  its 
emancipation.  He  mentioned  it  as  a  great 
favour,  during  this  time,  that  so  many  com- 
p  2 


174  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKB. 

forting  and  encouraging  texts  of  Scripture 
came  constantly  into  his  mind.  On  Friday 
the  sixth  of  June,  he  said,  "  The  way  to  glory 
is  by  the  cross.  I  take  the  cup  of  affliction 
willingly,  but  it  is  not  for  me  to  drain  it." 
His  friends  then  sang  a  hymn  for  him  at  his 
request;  and  after  it,  he  gave  himself  again 
away  to  the  Redeemer.  "  My  faithful  Sa- 
viour," said  he,  "  I  have  given  myself,  body 
and  soul,  into  thy  hands,  and  therein  would  I 
abide." 

Finally,  the  day  of  his  deliverance  arrived. 
Early  in  the  morning,  his  son-in-law  Freling- 
hausen  came  to  his  bed  side,  and  Francke 
expressed  his  belief,  that  his  end  was  drain- 
ing near.  Frelinghausen  repeated  to  him  a 
scripture  promise  for  his  sup}X)rt  and  en- 
couragement. About  eight  o'clock  he  prayed 
the  Lord  to  enable  him  to  be  entirely  con- 
formed to  his  will,  both  in  living  and  dying. 
To  his  wife  who  stood  near  him,  he  express- 
ed his  wish  to  enter  the  conflict  which  was 
approaching,  with  the  proper  feelings. 

Not  long  after,  he  awoke  from  a  short 
sleep,  saying,  "My  dear  Father!"  When  he 
was  asked  how  he  felt,  he  replied,  "God  will 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  175 

continue  to  support  me.  My  soul  has  cast 
itself  upon  him — Lord!  I  wait  for  thy  sal- 
vation !' '* 

About  eleven  o'clock,  one  of  his  brother 
professors  addressed  him  in  the  language  of 
Isaiah  xliii.  1,  "Fear  not,  saith  the  Lord — 
I  have  called  thee  by  my  name,  thou  art 
mine;  when  thou  passest  through  the  waters, 
I  will  be  with  thee,  &c."  He  said,  "God  grant 
that  it  may  be  so,  through  his  almighty 
power." 

He  became  now  gradually  weaker  and 
weaker,  but  still  had  strength  to  speak  to  a 
friend  of  his,  who  had  just  arrived  in  Halle, 
and  desired  to  see  him.  A  few  moments  after- 
wards, his  wife  asked  him  "if  the  Saviour 
\vere  still  near."  He  replied  in  the  affirma- 
tive. He  then  fell  into  a  gentle  slumber, 
which  continued  until  evening,  when,  without 
a  struggle  or  a  groan,  he  resigned  his  soul 
into  the  hands  of  the  Redeemer. 

He  died  on  the  8th  of  June,  1727,  in  the 
65th  year  of  his  age.  The  manner  in  which 
the  intelligence  of  his  departure  was  received, 

*  These  words  he  repeated  very  frequently,  during  hia  illness, 
both  in  Hebrew  and  German. 


176  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

proved  the  extent  of  that  esteem  which  was 
felt  towards  him.  Almost  the  whole  city 
came  to  take  a  farewell  look  at  his  remains, 
and  sermons,  and  eulogies,  and  poems,  ap- 
peared almost  without  number,  in  memory 
of  him.  These  little  tokens  of  regard  have 
been  long  forgotten,  and  more  than  a  century 
has  elapsed  since  he  whom  they  commemo- 
rated has  entered  into  his  rest ;  but  the  name 
of  Francke  will  live  as  long  as  the  Orphan 
House,  and  I  had  almost  said,  while  true 
piety  is  to  be  found  in  Germany.  Most  of 
the  piety  which  has  existed  in  that  country, 
since  his  day,  has  owed  its  origin,  under  God, 
principally  to  him,  and  his  coadjutors ;  and 
to  those  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  formality  and 
infidelity  of  many  of  the  German  churches 
at  the  present  day,  seek  the  true  light,  Francke 
and  Spener,  and  others  of  like  character,  will 
be  dear,  as  models  of  faith  and  zeal. 

The  history  of  the  character  and  labours 
of  Francke,  is  full  of  instruction ;  but  it  is  so 
easy  for  those  who  read  biography  to  dis- 
cover and  apply  its  lessons,  that  any  minute 
detail  of  them  will  be  unnecessary.  It  will 
not,  however,  be  amiss  to  mention  in  a  few 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKB.  177 

words,  the  most  striking  features  of  his  cha- 
racter, and  the  improvement  which  may  be 
made  of  the  success  of  his  labours.  And  as 
to  his  character,  the  most  remarkable  of  his 
graces  was  faith  ;  a  strong  confidence  in  the 
promises  of  God,  and  a  firm  conviction  of  the 
truth  and  importance  of  his  revealed  word. 
He  seemed  to  live  in  a  different  world  from 
most  men,  and  to  feel  the  force  of  motives, 
to  which  those  around  him  were  to  a  great 
deofree  insensible.  The  reason  was,  that  he 
had  that  faith  which  is  "  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen,"  and  which  brought  the  eternal 
world,  and  its  solemn  realities  so  near,  that 
he  could  keep  them  in  view,  in  all  that  he 
did.  This  was  that  which  sustained  him 
amidst  persecution  and  contempt,  and  en- 
abled him  to  endure,  without  repining,  the 
labours  in  which  he  was  so  abundant.  He 
was  living,  not  unto  himself,  but  to  Him  that 
cled  for  him;  and  he  counted  all  but  loss,  in 
comparison  with  the  attainment  of  a  crown 
of  hfe,  and  the  approbation  of  his  master. 

From  faith,  as  the  beginning,  flowed  all 
the  other  graces  of  the  Spirit.  His  love  to 
men  was  remarkable.    In  all  his  deportment, 


178  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

we  never  heard  of  an  unkind  word,  even  to  his 
enemies.  Like  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  delighted 
in  doing  good,  and  from  the  purest  motives  ; 
for  his  own  temporal  interest  was  never  sub- 
served thereby.  There  appears  to  have  been 
the  greatest  harmony  in  his  excellences,  no 
one  being  cherished  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
rest.  He  seems  to  have  made  as  near  an  ap- 
proach, as  is  possible  for  man,  to  the  model 
which  the  Apostle  has  drawn  for  us  of  a  child 
of  God,  when  he  says,  "  The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, long  suffering, gentle- 
ness, goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance." 

Another  striking  fact  in  the  history  of 
his  life,  is  the  great  success  of  his  benevolent 
efforts.  This  was  owing,  under  God,  not  to  any 
superior  degree  of  worldly  wisdom,  but  to  his 
faith.  This  led  him  to  inquire  what  was  the 
path  of  duty,  and  to  go  forward  in  that  path, 
leaving  the  provision  of  means,  and  the  com- 
plete disposal  of  them  to  God.  He  neglected, 
it  is  true,  no  effort  which  prudence  could  sug- 
gest ;  but  his  hopes  of  success  were  in  the 
arm  of  God  alone. 

And  what  may  we  learn  from  his 
history?      One    plain   lesson   is,   that    the 


MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE.  179 

amount  of  good  which  we  may  do,  is  im- 
mense. There  was  nothing  that  Francke 
attempted,  which  is  not  practicable  at  the 
present  day.  We  may  labour  for  the  salva- 
tion of  our  fellow-men,  for  the  education  of 
the  ignorant,  for  the  relief  of  the  distressed, 
and  for  the  extension  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
gospel  among  the  heathen.  We  may,  like 
him,  preach  the  gospel  and  circulate  Bibles 
and  tracts;  and  we  too  may  have  that  faith 
which  overcomes  the  w'orld.  The  fields  of 
usefulness  are  even  wider  now,  than  at  his 
day,  and  the  encouragement  to  labour  in  the 
cause  of  truth  far  greater;  and  all  that  is 
needed  to  make  the  influence  of  hundreds  of 
Christians,  at  this  time,  as  great  as  his,  is 
devotion  to  the  service  of  God. 

Another  truth  taught  us  by  his  life  is, 
that  the  ways  of  religion  ltc  those  of  hap- 
piness. It  is  a  too  general  impression,  es- 
pecially with  the  young,  that  piety  cannot  be 
attended  by  enjoyment,  because  it  demands 
such  sacrifices  of  personal  feeling.  Considera- 
tion would  show  them,  however,  that  so  far 
from  being  a  correct  opinion,  the  very  reverse 
is  true.   The  Christian  derives  pleasure  from 


180  MEMOIRS  OF  FRANCKE. 

self-denial  and  sacrifices,  because  by  endur- 
ing them,  he  honours  Him  who  is  dearer  to 
his  soul  than  all  things  else.  And,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  he  has  the  satis  Action  of  know- 
ing, that  they  tend  to  make  the  world  less 
dear — to  deliver  him  from  a  slavish  depend- 
ence upon  external  objects  for  consolation — 
and  fit  him  for  higher  and  holier  enjoyment. 
This  is  most  clearly  illustrated  in  the  life  of 
Francke.  There  appears  never  to  have  been 
a  time  after  his  conversion,  though  he  w^as 
frequently  in  the  midst  of  severe  trials,  w  hen 
his  peace  and  happiness  were  not  both  more 
pure  and  more  complete  than  the  highest 
that  the  world  affords.  This  is  the  promise 
of  the  Saviour  to  his  followers; — "verily  I 
say  unto  you,  there  is  no  man  that  hath  left 
house  or  parents,  or  brethren,  or  wife,  or 
children,  for  the  kingdom  of  God's  sake,  who 
shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in  this  pre- 
sent life,  and  in  the  world  to  come,  life  ever- 
lasting." May  the  reader  have  the  happiness 
to  realize  in  himself  the  rich  blessings  of  this 
promise,  both  here  and  hereafter ! 

THE  END. 


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